Are You Considering a Change of Your Health Insurance Company in Slovakia? The Deadline is 30.09.2020.
2020, 16 Sept / Author: Xenia K.
Proofread by: Sherry R. / www.iproofing.net
Source: Official Homepage of Union, Dovera and Vseobecna Zdravotna Poistovna
There are 3 public health insurance companies in Slovakia:
Dovera has around 1,500,000 insured persons,
Union - 500,000 insured persons,
Vseobecna Zdravotna Poistovna – 3 million insured persons.
Each of them provide standard health insurance services. However there are some differences and benefits which may matter to you.
This article is to list these differences and help you to make a decision; it is not an evaluation scheme.
Dovera:
- Up to 150€ per person per year for dental care
- Up to 300€ per person per year for medicines
- Free test for antibodies against Corona virus as a part of a preventive examination
- 25% discount on the test for Coronavirus at Alpha medical labs
- Free vaccinations e.g. against hepatitis, HPV, ticks
- Self-diagnostics through Genio diagnostic tool if medical doctor is not available
- Free colon cancer screening
- Discounts on Generali travel insurance and mountain insurance
- Hip or knee joint replacement with minimum waiting time, including rehabilitation
- 50€ bag full of baby cosmetics for a child aged under 1 year
- Up to 25% discount on stays in Slovak spas for blood donors
- Up to 13% discount on stays in most famous Slovak spas
- 10% discount on international health insurance from the Swiss company „Insoom“
- Mammography within 10 days
- Reimbursment for health care that is not covered by a standard health insurance, twice per year
- 80% refund for treatment with a non-contracted medical doctor
- 50% discount on the price for one of the 51 superior hospital rooms
- Reimbursment for cancer treatment in Proton Center in Prague
- E-branch and mobile phone app for communication, payments and problem solving
Union:
- Short waiting times for examinations such as MRI and CT (2-21 days)
- Allowance for the purchase of necessities for newborns
- Rent a breathing monitor for a newborn
- Allowance for a swimming course for newborns
- Help from midwives free of charge
- Contribution for spectacle frames for children aged under 12 years
- 100€ contribution for dental care per person per year
- Regular invitations to preventive examinations, during which the insured person can also undergo special examinations in medical facilities closest to their home
- 50% discount on short term travel insurance
- 20% discount on supplementary health insurance
- Up to 20% discount on wellness accommodation, fitness or spa
- 15% discount on year-round travel insurance
- 5% discount on property insurance
- ONLINE services – an insured person can:
- search for contracted medical doctors or dentists
- have an overview of healthcare expenses
- change personal data
- request a new card
- apply for benefits
Access is granted through the PIN delivered to the insured person by post to the home address.
Vseobecna Zdravotna Poistovna (VZP):
GP for adults:
- Free colon cancer screening
- Examination to detect the risk of stroke
- ABI Index measurement - diagnostics to detect lower limb ischemia, which predicts a likelihood of a heart attack or stroke
- The only Health Insurance Company, that provides care for patients with high blood pressure within the General Practitioner´s Office, so the patient does not have to engage a specialist
- Basic pre-operative examinations conducted by the General Practitioner
GP for children and adolescent:
- Support with treatment for the prevention of obesity in children
- Management of health care for children aged 3-7 years, with obesity
Gynecologists:
- Preventive cytological examination once a year
- Cervical cancer preventive examination once a year
- Preventive mammography examinations within 15 days of referral
Dentists:
- Contribution of up to 30€ for dental hygiene for children
Other:
- Preventive urological examination for men aged over 40 years, once in 3 years
- The only Health Insurance Company, that provides care for patients aged under 18 years, with eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia), at the National Institute of Paediatric Diseases in Bratislava
- The only Health Insurance Company, that provides a comprehensive treatment of morbid obesity in adults
- The only Health Insurance Company, that reimburses insured persons for 1/3 of the costs of health care in both the Obesity prevention and treatment program and the Healthy back program
- Free of charge influenza vaccination
- Contribution to a vaccination against viral hepatitis
- 60% discount on travel insurance
- 30% discount on GS brand vitamins
- Up to 25% discount for spa stays for self-payers
- Up to 15% discount on holiday stay in SOREA facilities
- 10% discount on France Lait infant formula, Kawar Dead Sea cosmetics and Jamieson natural vitamins
- 5% discount in CURAPROX shops
Health Wallet program represents a unique system of benefits.
- By creating a group of 4-8 members in the VZP App, the insured person can get a bonus of up to 800€ for health care for themselves and the family.
- One member of the group can get a bonus up to 450€,
- up to 120€ contribution for a dental care per year,
- up to 100€ contribution for glasses and contact lenses,
- up to 200€ contribution for medicines and dietetic food items.
- From the Health Wallet, the insured person can also be reimbursed for the CRP test, which helps prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics.
What you have to do if you decide to change your Health Insurance Company:
Fill in the online form on the homepage of the particular Health Insurance Company
Dovera:
https://prihlaska.dovera.sk/formular
Union:
https://www.union.sk/online-prihlaska-uzp/#vyber-poistenca
VZP:
https://prihlaska.vszp.sk/prihlaska-online
or visit any branch of that particular Health Insurance company.
Your new Health Insurance company does all the paperwork and communication with your previous Health Insurance company.
Your new card can be sent per post to your home address if you choose this option when filling in the form. Or, you can pick it up in the branch.
We recommend that you return the previous card to your previous Health Insurance Company, either per post or at any branch.
You need to complete the registration with a new Health Insurance company by 30.9.2020 so that the change becomes valid from 1.1.2021.
Do not forget to inform your employer about the change of your Health Insurance company, at the latest by the end of the year 2020, so that your employer can arrange the correct health insurance payments for you efficiently.
We wish you the best of luck.