Gov't against rise of health insurance for kids, pensioners | Prague ...

?TK |

24 May 2012

Prague, May 23 (CTK) - The Czech cabinet Wednesday rejected Health Minister Leos Heger's (TOP 09) proposal that the state increase its health insurance contributions for children, pensioners, the unemployed and other selected groups as from next year.

The Finance Ministry, headed by Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09), beforehand called the proposed increase by 49 crowns to 772 crowns per head and month unfeasible.

Heger's proposal, if accepted, would bring an additional 3.6 billion crowns to the health care system, which would soften the impact of the VAT increase, planned as from 2013.

Last time the state raised its health insurance contributions for the selected groups as from January 1, 2010.

The Finance Ministry said on its website that the health insurance should be kept untouched. The Health Ministry argued that the state should not give up its adequate share in regular health insurance contributions.

"The government's effort to improve the state budget balance cannot be permenently based on worsening the balance of the public health insurance system, which is also a public budget," Heger said previously.

According to data submitted by Heger, the average number of people whose insurance contributions will be covered by the state next year is 6.1 million a month.

If the state increased its contributions for the selected groups, it would pay a total of 56.5 billion crowns to the health system in 2013, some 3.6 billion more than this year.

The relevant law enables the government to adjust the insurance contributions in view of the average pay development. The average pay has inreased by an average 2.7 percent a year from 2009 to 2011.

It ensues from health insurers' data that the system will end in an overall loss of 3.5 billion crowns this year, if nothing unexpected occurs.

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