The second medical opinion consists in verifying the accuracy of the diagnosis and the treatment proposed so far. Its task is to confirm or rule out a previously made diagnosis. Such a solution is provided by the MediSky Health Card, which, apart from the second medical care, also provides concierge services. What are these services, what are the benefits and how to get them, explains Iulia Apostu, Chief Operating Officer France Sugery.
What does France Surgery do?
I.A.: – France Surgery is a virtual health assistant that connects International Patients with a network of highly renowned Specialists, Healthcare Facilities & Health Insurers in Europe. We provide innovative healthcare services such as Second medical opinion & medical concierge services in Europe.
Do your services cover customers from all over the world?
Most of our customers come from Europe, Middle East, North Africa, but we address our services to people all over the world. For example, we often receive requests from French expatriates located in China, Canada or USA, or simply from residents located at the other end of the world. The integration of the technological evolutions in our services makes it possible to answer to patient’s needs wherever they are located and whenever they need it.
Who are your services dedicated to?
Our services are dedicated to international patients in search of a better quality of healthcare, at affordable prices and/or with shorter waiting lists than in their country of origin. They can be self-paid patients, but more and more of them have now international healthcare insurance policies, covering for their healthcare services abroad.
What is a Second Medical Opinion?
A Second Medical Opinion is a medical service requested by a patient after he’s received an initial diagnosis or treatment plan for a medical condition. Especially in case of a serious health problem (but not only), the patient may decide to address himself to one (or several) other specialist(s), who will then review the patient’s medical records and give an opinion about the patient’s health problem and how it should be treated. A second opinion may confirm or question the first doctor’s diagnosis and treatment plan, give more information about the patient’s disease or condition, and offer other treatment options.
What diseases are included?
We cover 37 medical and surgical specialties in our network. You may find a comprehensive list here below:
Cardiology
Dermatology
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Hematology
Infectious diseases and tropical medicine
Sport medicine
Internal medicine
Nephrology
Neurology
Obstetrics
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Addictology
Tabacology
Shoulder surgery
Foot surgery
Hip and knee surgery
Hand and upper limb surgery
Spine surgery
Sports surgery
Trauma surgery
Plastic reconstructive surgery
Vascular and endovascular surgery
Digestive or visceral surgery
Obesity surgery
Pediatric surgery
Neurosurgery
ENT
Stomatology
Urology
What documents does the client need to have to obtain a second medical opinion?
We request a complete medical file, including a health questionnaire adapted to each pathology we cover and the most recent medical imaging of the patient. Medical reports may also be necessary. In some complex cases, our specialists request the complete medical history of the patient.
What are concierge services?
Medical concierge services are a comprehensive range of services we provide to our patients, to ensure peace of mind for them and their families. Our dedicated team of patient coordinators combines the patient’s specific medical needs, choices, religious and cultural expectations into a tailor made experience to make him feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible during his medical travel.
Among our concierge services, we provide:
Flight booking
Arrange pick up/Drop off from airport (and special transport if required)
Accommodation booking nearby the hospital
Delivery of medication
Visa Assistance
Check-in/check-out at the hospital.
Meet patient at the hospital, take care of patient’s relatives. Contact family members in case of emergency….
What are the costs on the client-side?
It depends on each patient’s international healthcare policy. Some policies may cover a part or all our services, other may not.
What conditions should the client meet to be able to use the service?
In which countries is the concierge service provided?
For the moment, we provide these services in France, UK, Spain.
Can the documents be sent in Polish or do they need to be translated?
Indeed, medical documents can be sent to France Surgery in Polish. However, there will be an extra cost for the translation of these documents in English / French.
Regarding the SMO Report provided by our specialists, this is always sent in English.
Why our clients should use France Surgery services?
France Surgery is a double-certified medical facilitator (by both American and German institutions), and one of the very first European actors on the international medical assistance market. We have the largest network of medical providers, with over 120 healthcare facilities & more than 1500 specialists connected to our secure telemedicine platform, DigiMED.
Our main value comes from the perfect combination of on-site assistance, provided by our highly experienced Patient Coordinators & a virtual assistant, represented by our totally secure e-health platform, whose primary purpose is to place patients, doctors, healthcare facilities, health insurers all in contact with each other, for an active case management.
We have managed hundreds of medical cases over the years, all with the same passion and quality for service.
See also Webinar about second medical opinion and concierge services.
24th February 2022 – the day of the Russian aggression which turned the lives of our neighbours into a nightmare. A lot of them were forced to leave their country and many found refuge in Poland. Unfortunately, the problems that they left behind in Ukraine have been replaced by others – in our country.
For three months, our new citizens have been struggling with housing, economic and health problems. In particular, women and children are in a special situation because they are the ones who mostly left their country. Money can be obtained as well as an apartment but the most important thing for people is their health, so we should look at the situation of Ukrainians in a broader context, namely the medical one.
Polish reality
Let’s look at the numbers that affect every Ukrainian man and woman. Currently, the life expectancy of a Ukrainian man is 67 years and of a Ukrainian woman – 77 years. A particular challenge is the high mortality of working-age people and health inequalities depending on the social and economic status. The risk of death from a chronic disease of people aged 30-70 in Ukraine is 35% – for comparison, in Poland it is 25%.
The numbers alone show that Ukrainians must be guaranteed healthcare. Only from the beginning of the war to the present day, between 1 and 1.5 million refugees may have come to Poland – 1.15 million of them are registered in the PESEL system. We should remember that before the war, up to 1.3 million people with Ukrainian citizenship lived in Poland. In the first three weeks of the war alone, over 3 million refugees escaped to Poland. Some of the people who came to Poland left for other EU countries or returned to Ukraine. How does it affect Polish healthcare? This situation will burden Polish hospitals even more.
Help provided to refugees by Poles and the Polish government has been impressive right from the start. Already since April, refugees from Ukraine have been entitled to medical care, including healthcare benefits, on the terms and conditions and to the extent that it is granted to people covered by compulsory or voluntary health insurance. However, refugees do not have the right to health resort treatment and rehabilitation.
Despite the government’s high-profile promises, help provided to refugees has not been sufficient at all levels. “In May, refugees from Ukraine who fled the war face problems in accessing proper healthcare in Poland”, thinks Ombudsman Marcin Wiącek. According to the Ombudsman, the biggest problems for Ukrainians are the following:
access to primary healthcare;
treatment of patients without medical records;
difficulties in accessing health services in the absence of a PESEL number;
refunds as part of medicine programmes;
What does the Ministry of Health say to this? “The Ministry plans to create separate medical facilities for refugees from Ukraine. When it comes to regulating the financing of translators’ services, we can read that there is no legal basis for NFZ [National Health Fund] to cover the costs”, said Waldemar Kraska, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Health. He also reminded that not long ago, the Ministry launched the LikarPL application, which is supposed to facilitate medical consultations for refugees from Ukraine. In addition, the Teleplatform of First Contact (TPK) service was extended to include people using the Ukrainian language and the Internet Patient Account (IKP) in Ukrainian was launched.
Despite the government’s efforts, the situation in Polish hospitals is still dramatic. There are many problems: ageing medical personnel, serious staff shortages, long queues to specialist doctors, basing the system on expensive hospitalisation (instead of cheaper outpatient care), ineffective prophylaxis, too late diagnostics, poor financial situation of healthcare facilities and, finally, the lack of a coordinated approach.
What is the solution to this situation? Refugees and, broadly speaking, all immigrants who came to our country deserve and require medical care at the highest level. The Polish healthcare system has serious problems, the government acts slowly and often ineffectively. According to the analysis of the Statistics Poland (GUS), there were 898 general hospitals in the country in 2020. Statistically, this means that 2.5 hospitals serve 100,000 inhabitants, i.e. there are on average 660 places for hospitalisation for such a population. Not everyone can wait for help.
Solution
What if it were possible to have access to all state and private medical facilities, not only in Poland but also abroad?
Such a solution is offered by MediSky International. MediSky Health Cards will provide our guests from Ukraine with access to the most comprehensive and professional medical care in Poland and abroad. Thanks to the free choice of facilities, each citizen of Ukraine will have the opportunity to use private services without queuing for medical assistance.
MediSky has been supporting the Ukrainian community in Poland since the beginning of the war. Our help is extensive – it is not only about hosting Ukrainians by the company’s employees, but also hiring people to our team. Especially to make it easier for people looking for health insurance, MediSky has created a website in Ukrainian: https://medisky.eu/ua.
Additionally, a person from Ukraine was assigned to serve our clients.
We invite you to visit our specially created profiles on social media.
Interview with Arkadiusz Piątek, Country Manager of MediSky International sp. z o.o.
Aleksandra Wysocka: Do people really need international medical packages?
Arkadiusz Piątek: Definitely. More than 80% of Poles are not satisfied with the public healthcare system! We are at the very end in the ranking of the European healthcare systems. The situation is slightly improving but we are still far behind the mid-level countries, not to mention countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, France of the Nordic countries.
We should also remember about Covid-19. Although, the pandemic has waned, we know from our own experience that the situation can be different in autumn. Additionally, there is the war in Ukraine. Poles have taken in a huge number of refugees who should be provided with medical care. We also have to deal with high inflation and staff shortages in the medical sector. The public healthcare system is facing a lot of challenges. The medical subscription, which is highly popular in our country, does not provide appropriate availability and treatment of life-threatening diseases. And here, we have a role to play. International medical insurance that we offer is a perfect solution for those who care about the highest standard of private medicine.
Our policies guarantee access to the most modern clinics in the country and abroad, most effective medicines or cutting-edge treatment methods. International medical insurance means comprehensive care which includes first aid, hospitalisation and outpatient services. Such policies practically ensure medical care from A to Z.
What are your experiences on other markets? Is the situation there similar to Poland?
MediSky is part of the MediHelp Group. We are present in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe where the public healthcare system does not provide professional care of the health and life of their citizens.
We have been operating the longest, namely for more than 20 years, in Romania. It is one of the fastest developing economies in the world. The private medical sector is increasingly strong there. Despite that, Romanian people often get treatment abroad. Around 50% of our sales in this country is generated by the broker channel. The remaining part is own sales, from which more than half is constituted by referrals of our current customers.
In Hungary and Bulgaria, we rely almost completely on cooperation with agents and brokers. Our branches have been present in these countries for seven years. In case of serious diseases, Bulgarian people choose Turkish hospitals and Hungarian people are willing to be treated in Austria.
MediSky has been operating in Poland for five years. The biggest part of sales is generated by our office. We want to establish extensive cooperation with brokers and agents, therefore, we will be present at the XXIV Broker Congress in Mikołajki this year. It will be a great pleasure for us to present our cutting-edge offer.
Who is the insurer of your products?
Our partners are local AXA Partners and international AXA Life & Reinsurance Solutions (previously AXA Global Healthcare) from Singapore. MediSky acts on behalf of the insurer, which allows us to cooperate with intermediaries. MediSky is responsible for sales and customer service and AXA covers insurance risk.
This structure is very good for policy holders because they are serviced by the local office and their treatment costs are secured by one of the biggest and strongest insurance companies in the world. In addition, AXA provides round-the-clock assistance and coordinates processes related to the Second Medical Opinion and Concierge Services.
Who buys such packages most often?
Such packages are bought most often by educated people who care about the quality of their life and health as well as the health of their families. They are often owners of small and medium enterprises who are aware of the risks and consequences of not having adequate medical care in case of loss of health. Also the management boards of large companies constitute our target group. HR Departments bend over backwards to provide their managers with additional benefits which have been a kind of standard for a few years.
International medical care is not only a product that stands out on the market, but also a guarantor of safety for companies whose development depends on the health of their managerial staff. Here we count on brokers and agents with B2B clients in their portfolio who might be interested in our solutions.
How does such a package work?
It is very simple. The customer individually arranges a visit in a medical facility of their choosing in Poland or abroad and pays for everything with our pre-paid card. This product is called the MediSky Health Card because one card includes comprehensive healthcare and an useful payment function. We are planning to depart from plastic cards still this year and enable our customers to pay with their mobile phones thanks to a virtual payment card. If it is not possible to pay by card in a given medical facility, the customer can always pay in cash and receive a refund on their bank account within a few days.
What is the difference between your products and other medical products such as e.g. Best Doctors?
Our products provide comprehensive medical care. It is not only round-the-clock assistance and treatment of life-threatening diseases in hospitals, but also outpatient services. There is no catalogue of services, list of doctors or procedures etc.
Every package has its own annual limit of the sum insured, which is very high in each case and amounts to as much as EUR 2 million. Our customers have complete freedom in choosing the place where they want to be treated. They can, for instance, undergo a complicated surgery in the most modern clinic in Switzerland and continue rehabilitation and further treatment in Poland or in any other country in the world, even in the USA.
In addition, our policies guarantee the coverage for the costs of medicines. In practice, it works in the following way: the customer, after leaving the doctor’s office, can go to a pharmacy and buy medicines, paying for the previous consultation and medicines with the MediSky Health Card. In my opinion, it is the most comprehensive and the most convenient solution on our market.
Do you already cooperate with brokers and agents?
We focus on cooperation with intermediaries because brokers and agents have contact with the customers who constitute our target group. We can offer a unique product which is a perfect complement to their portfolio. There are already first brokers who use our policies. Their positive feedback is very important for us.
More than 85% of our customers renew their policies every year, which proves the stability of the portfolio. We provide full sales and post-sales support to brokers and agents. In order to make the offering process easier for them, we developed an online platform where brokers can create an account and then individually prepare initial policy quotes for their customers.
Our newest project is a training platform called MediHelp Academy. It is a place which provides nice and easy access to knowledge about health insurance, sales techniques or product details. We invite all those interested in cooperation with us to training in our office or online. We issue a certificate for completing the training, which counts for obligatory training hours resulting from the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD).
What are your plans for the Broker Congress?
Already on the firs day, at 7:00 pm, we invite everyone to the performance of an illusionist at the main Congress room. On Thursday, we will be available all day at our stand in the hotel lobby. The culmination point of our participation will be the lecture by the Managing Director of AXA Life & Health Reinsurance Solutions, Laurent Pochat-Cottiloux, entitled “The role of health insurance in the post-covid era”. The presentation will start at 11:00 am and will be held in room 5/12. We also planned the drawing of attractive prizes for all participants of this event.
We have never met personally some of our brokers and agents, so we invite them to an individual meeting in room 5/12, where we will be present until the end of the day. As far as I know, also you, Aleksandra, plan to participate in our presentation, which I am very happy about. See you there.
The public health system is not working as it should be, which is why many people opt for private healthcare plans. Paying for a monthly membership plan that is not exactly low-priced, they expect high quality healthcare and quick access to different specialists. Does it really work that way? Do the most expensive healthcare membership plans really provide help in every case? We have prepared a comparison of MediSky insurance vs. the most popular healthcare membership plans to give you the opportunity to make a conscious decision regarding the way you want to protect your health.
Healthcare membership plan – is it worth it?
After a cursory reading of a healthcare membership agreement, everything looks clear, so we decide to buy the cover without hesitation. The problems begin when there is a real need to use the services of a specialist at a very short notice. It turns out that there are a number of restrictions in the agreement that we simply did not expect. Ultimately, the healthcare membership plan turns out to be insufficient.
So, is there a solution that will satisfy even the most demanding customers? A solution that will fully meet their needs. Of course! MediSky private health insurance was created to meet all the expectations of patients and to provide them with appropriate preventive and medical care of the highest standard.
Healthcare membership plan vs. MediSky insurance
What distinguishes MediSky health insurance from standard healthcare membership plans? Why is it worth trusting our company? What do we mean by “medical care of the highest standard”?
MediSky insurance is primarily:
– free access to all private and public healthcare facilities throughout Poland – without exception,
– access to all specialists,
– full hospital care in all public and private hospitals throughout the country,
– second medical opinion,
– road and air ambulance services,
– all laboratory and diagnostic tests without additional charges,
– treatment of cancer and other serious diseases,
– full range of outpatient surgery,
– HIV/AIDS treatment,
– covered prescription medicine costs.
Thanks to MediSky, you do not have to worry about long waiting times for appointments or not having consultation with a given specialist included in your package. MediSky insurance means all-inclusive and comprehensive healthcare. You choose the facility where you want to receive treatment. Additionally, payment for all services is made with the MediSky card! You do not have to cover the treatment costs on your own – it is extremely convenient.
If you care about peace, convenience and safety, check out the available MediSky insurance packages and enjoy your highest quality healthcare.
In this exclusive iPMI Magazineinterview, Christopher Knight, CEO, iPMI Magazine, met with SIR Zahal Levy, President of MediHelp International. They discuss in detail MediHelp International iPMI plans, developments and markets plus where the iPMI market is heading, and the affect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please introduce yourself and background in the international private medical insurance market:
My name is Zahal Levy and I am the president and founder of MediHelp International. I have a wealth of experience in the medical and in the medical insurance industry, having managed as many as 2,000 employees in companies with turnovers reaching €50 million. I have led these companies through start-up, survival, turnaround and growth modes.
Before assuming my current role in 2007, I was Vice President Business Development for Euromedic (Affidea) International, based in Budapest. I came to Eastern Europe in 1997 to set up a challenging business enterprise, SOS Medical and Ambulance Emergency Services (in Romania). Previous to this, I held various management positions and shareholdings in insurance enterprises in Israel.
As an expatriate living in Central Eastern Europe for 15 years, I understand the specifics of the area and I designed appropriate health insurance packages for both expatriates and locals while at the same time creating a dedicated team to professionally and efficiently meet customer demands.
Who is MediHelp International and what do you provide the international private medical insurance market?
MediHelp International is the leading private health insurance provider in Central Eastern Europe, with offices in Romania, Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria.
We have been present on the health insurance market for more than 15 years and we have a clear mission: to create and develop innovative solutions adapted to the needs of our clients and partners. We have been pioneers in providing comprehensive health insurance plans, along with health care and high-standard customer care services.
We have become a well-recognized company, constantly growing, respected and appreciated by the most important international health insurance companies, as well as by our business partners, employees and customers around the world.
Can you walk us through the range of international private medical insurance plans MediHelp International provides?
Our international private medical insurance plans offer coverage from €500,000 up to €3,000,000 per policy. The MediHelp plans cover, but are not limited to hospitalization, emergency transportation and treatment, outpatient medical services, maternity care, preventive treatment.
MediHelp International health insurance policies cover hospital and treatment costs for severe illnesses such as cancer or chronic diseases and even tissue and organ transplant, which would normally be extremely expensive.
We invite you to discover all the benefits of our plans on our website (www.medihelp-assistance.com or www.medisky.pl).
What are the advantages of MediHelp International IPMI plans?
With international private medical insurance, our customers can choose the clinic and the specialist for their treatment, thus ensuring that all medical procedures are performed so that the diagnosis and treatment are the most appropriate for them.
If our customers choose private health insurance with international coverage, they will benefit from direct settlement for a series of medical services in a network made up of more than 1.4 million of private clinics and hospitals throughout the world.
We have a dedicated Customer Care department and we offer assistance in local languages as well as provide fast reimbursement of medical costs.
Geographically speaking, where does MediHelp International do business?
We have a strong presence in Central and Eastern Europe with offices in Romania, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria.
We are currently carrying out market research into the possibility of expanding our reach into other countries.
How has the international private medical insurance market changed in the past 15 years?
In the last 15 years the market has changed like this: 15 years ago, we could only insure ex-patriots. They came from abroad, from countries where they knew what health insurance was. They were used to buying a health insurance policy and making the most of advantages that come with having health insurance, so it wasn’t a strange idea for them. Health insurance for themselves or for their families was a priority. At that time locals did not know what health insurance was or involved. Then those same people, those managers from overseas, started to worry about their senior employees and they asked us to also insure these employees as well. This was the catalyst for the provision of private international health insurance to local residents. Today, senior managers who are nationals within a firm owned by foreigners tend to get medical health insurance included in their salary package in the way many foreign employees have done for decades. The ‘product’ has now become localised and there is far greater take-up from local owners of companies. At the same time, over the years more and more Romanians have travelled further afield and now either work, study or go on holiday abroad. What they saw in many foreign countries was a healthcare system different to the one at home, one which provided services to many who had health insurance. While medical facilities in Romania might not have matched those in other foreign countries, international health insurance gave Romanians access to better, international hospitals. Now, the standard of healthcare for Romania has improved and the demand for proper healthcare has grown, healthcare that still isn’t fully available in Romania.
COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on travel and global mobility. How has COVID-19 affected the IPMI market?
I think the effect of the pandemic is waning and international travel is starting up again. Consequently, where before we have had little demand for assistance to seek overseas treatment for medical conditions, that is once again on the increase, even though in an emergency we would have been able to arrange foreign travel for a patient. With a sense of things ‘getting back to normal’, it seems that everyone is beginning to accept that COVID-19 is just something we will all just have to learn to live with. Normal life now means normal healthcare when needed, whether it is treatment abroad or at home.
What are the biggest risks the international private medical insurance market currently faces?
I am afraid that the risks are going to materialize in front of our eyes very soon. The pandemic has dealt a big blow to the international health market, to the local health markets, and the amount of money that was invested in healthcare. The pandemic has actually coloured the black spots of healthcare. Some of them we had known before, while some we found out during the time we were busy with the pandemic. Europe is going to see an exhausted medical system after the pandemic, and the situation will probably be even worse than before, and I think we’ll see a big increase in the price of private health care. And that represents a risk for us because we do not want to sell our products at higher prices than we sell them now, but on the other hand we need to pay claims for services that are being provided by private medical facilities around Europe, and we are subject to their prices and to medical inflation. So it is a huge risk because we still want to make sure that we keep the affordability of our products.
In the next decade, how will the international private medical insurance market develop?
I feel that the idea of the state being the one responsible for an individual’s health in Romania is slowly disappearing. I think everybody understands that if they want to have proper healthcare, they have to have some kind of medical insurance and to assume the responsibility for the health and well being of themselves, their families, and where appropriate, their employees. The way to do this is not to look to the state for the provision of all your medical needs, but nor should you expect your employer to pay for any medical expenses.. So if your boss does not want to pay for your “abonament” or for your health insurance then you don’t have one. I think that is changing though. There are more ways of assuming responsibility and I believe that in the end in Romania the “abonament” will probably be discontinued and will pave its way to private medical insurance. This is a trend that we see everywhere. Medical providers such as Medlife, Sanador or Medicover will probably sell their services for a fee. It means that you will go to a clinic, get your treatment, and you will either pay with our payment card which we are already providing to our customers, or you will be reimbursed for your costs.
Last, but not least, if you could live anywhere in the world, on land, or at sea, where would it be?
This is a very good question which I don’t have an answer to. Sometimes when I am working in my garden, I have these moments when I think that one day, I will buy a small plot of land on a nice small island or by a nice beach in Greece and I could build a nice house where the front is made of glass and looks out over the beach. I could swim and ride my bike as why do I need all these headaches that come with my work? At my age, most people are retiring. But then I say to myself “No”. The time isn’t right yet to travel across the globe in search of a dream location for my retirement home. I am happy for now living in a place called MediHelp. This is where I live. It is a place where I am still developing, creating, working, growing with my wonderful team and this is the place I have chosen to remain. I want a life that is interesting, has wonderful moments and development options which I do not want to miss out on. So, in short, the place that I want to be is called MEDIHELP.
A digital nomad – sounds cool! You quit your corporate job, you are free, you win new clients and stubbornly pursue your goals. You pack your laptop, mobile phone, small suitcase and… off you go! The world is truly beautiful, and you can work from any place around it. Porto today, Norway the day after tomorrow, and the Maldivesnext month. It is fantastic. Or rather it will be once you take care of one important thing – protect your health. After all, accidents and illnesses can happen to anyone. Health insurance is essential! But… is there an insurance policy or private healthcare offering on the market that will give you access to treatments worldwide? Can a digital nomad be fully protected? We actually have the answer to that question.
Insurance for freelancers and digital nomads – does it exist?
When you travel the world, even if your business is based in Poland, the insurance offered by the National Health Fund will not help you much. Of course, while staying in the EU/EFTA countries, you can use an EHIC. However, you must remember that the range of treatments provided under an EHIC is somewhat limited. You are only entitled to necessary and unplanned treatments. Furthermore, you are insured on the same terms as citizens of the country where you are staying, so if part of the cost of a given treatment is paid by a citizen in a given country, you are also obliged to do so. From a financial point of view, this option may not be the best.
Besides, if you want to travel outside the EU/EFTA countries, you will not be able to use an EHIC. Travel insurance could be an option, but it is not cheap and covers only the time of your trip. If you have an accident, it will help, but if you require longer hospitalization – then not necessarily. In such cases, you are usually required to continue treatment in Poland. And you do not want that, you want to live and work in different parts of the globe. You want to live peacefully and not worry about visits to surgeries, hospitals, and clinics. In this case, international private health insurance is a must! Fortunately, the right solution is now available!
MediSky international health insurance – this is the option for you!
Yes, it really does work! The MediSky health insurance will provide you with the highest quality healthcare anywhere in the world. You can be treated in Poland, Great Britain, Cyprus, Bali, Thailand – wherever you go. No queues, no unnecessary formalities (you pay for visits with a MediSky prepaid card!), no restrictions. The MediSky insurance covers e.g., emergency treatment, hospitalization, cancer treatment, preventive treatment, medical consultations with numerous specialists, rehabilitation, outpatient treatment, as well as obstetric, dental, and ophthalmic care. You are given total freedom when it comes to choosing the private medical facility to be treated at. And if necessary, the multilingual Customer Service Center is at your disposal 24/7!
Peace of mind, safety, highest quality private healthcare in your country and anywhere else in the world! Check the available packages and choose one that is the best for you.
Health care in Poland is insurance-based and is delivered through a publicly funded health care system. It is free for all the citizens if their health insurance is paid for by their employer, or are the spouse or child of an insured person. The right to healthcare is guaranteed by the Constitution, and citizens are granted equal access. The government is obliged to provide free healthcare to the unemployed, young children, pregnant women, disabled people, students, and the elderly.
The percentage of the population that has insurance is high at 91%, but still lower than in many other European countries.
However, private healthcare use is very extensive in Poland. Patients who are uninsured must pay the full cost of medical services. According to a study conducted by CBOS in 2016, out of 84% of all patients taking the survey, 40% declared use of both private and public health services, 37% use only public, and 7% use only private health services.
The main financing source is health insurance in the National Health Fund. About 70% of health expenses in Poland are covered by the National Health Fund, with the remaining 30% coming from private health insurance.
The management of the public health system is divided between the Minister of Health and three levels of territorial self-government, which is believed to be one of the causes for the delays in the response to problems.
The basis of the healthcare system is the primary care physician, who is most commonly a specialist in family health, and is responsible for conducting treatment, as well as taking preventive actions for assigned patients. If a specialist is required, the first contact doctor issues referral to the specialist. A referral is not needed for oncology, gynaecology, psychiatry, dentistry, or sexually transmitted diseases. Not all dental treatment is covered by the health insurance scheme.
The public healthcare system in Poland faces similar problems and those in other Eastern European countries such as long wait lines, difficult access to specialist physicians and insufficient results in cancer treatment. According to the Euro Health Consumer Index 2018, Poland was 32nd out of 35.
While there have been some improvements – including greater longevity, a decrease in infant mortality and a greater focus on health prevention and promotion – some unfavourable trends and challenges remain such as limited access to care, underfunding and rising dissatisfaction with low salaries among health professionals. The “braindrain” of medical staff to western European countries can also be experienced in Poland, being replaced with specialist from other countries like Ukraine, Georgia, or India.
Current health policy reforms are primarily aimed at tackling the demographic challenges of an aging population, reducing hospital debts, restructuring the health sector and introducing alternative sources of revenue for healthcare financing.
Since fear, worry and stress are absolutely common reactions to perceived or real threats or at times of uncertainty, it is natural that people are experiencing all or any of the above during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The fear of potentially contracting the virus is not the only one we may face. There are changes to our everyday life such as the restrictions to move around or take part in regular activities that has been normal. The new setup of home office, temporary unemployment or – for many – the home-schooling of children test the mental state of most people.
And we have not even touched the more emotional challenge that the lack of physical contact with other family members, friends and colleagues means. At extraordinary times like this, it is of utmost importance to look after both our physical and mental health.
While some symptoms of stress are obvious. such as the increased use of tobacco or alcohol, the difficulty concentrating or sleeping, anger, sadness or frustration, others are less so but nonetheless very serious and need attention. These are, for example, the worsening of mental health conditions and chronic health problems, or physical reactions such as headaches, stomach problems and skin rashes.
Please see some tips that can help you cope with the challenges you are faced in the pandemic:
Make the most of staying at home
While staying at home also means that our regular social activities are temporarily not available, we can turn it around and look at this period as an opportunity to set up a new daily routine and allow time to look after ourselves. Some ways to do that are reading, watching movies, learning or exercising relaxation/meditation, or studying something new. Also, make sure you stay in touch with others on online platforms.
Try to enjoy a different type of social life
Staying in touch is largely limited to the online scene in the lockdown. Share valuable content but make sure it comes from a trusted source. Remember that your friends may be stressed and worried too. Likewise, if you find that the feed of certain people is increasing your anxiety, you can always mute or unfollow them.
You should also connect with faith-based community or organizations.
Try to avoid speculation and stick to reputable sources
As in any situation, rumour and speculation can fuel insecurity and anxiety. Make sure you get trustworthy, quality information to help you feel more in control. Of course, you cannot and shouldn’t avoid all news, but limit your news intake if it is bothering you. From time to time, consider taking breaks from watching, reading or listening to news stories, including those on social media.
Stay active and take care of your body
While gyms, swimming pools and other sports venues may be temporarily closed, make all the efforts to stay active as that will boost both your immune system and your spirit. You can go running, hiking, cycling, or simply walking the dog. There are also many exercises and training apps or sessions available online, many of which are free. The knowledge that you have done something for your health is already a factor that will ease your anxiety.
To combat stress it is great to simply take deep breaths, stretch or meditate. Also, remember to get plenty of sleep. Don’t neglect to carry on with preventive measures such as vaccinations and screenings. And get the Covid-19 vaccine when available.
Eat a balanced diet
Make sure that you include a lot of vegetables and fruits in your diet, so your daily intake does not come only from supplements. There is an increasing amount of evidence showing how food affects your mood, and eating healthy meals can improve this. It is reassuring to know that your diet provides the right amount of brain nutrients as well, such as essential vitamins and minerals. Remember to drink plenty of water.
While smoking and drinking may seem to ease stress initially, this is misleading as they tend to make problems worse. Stay away altogether from them or at least try to reduce their amount.
Keep a strict hygiene regime
The knowledge that you do everything in your power for prevention is in itself a factor to lessen stress. Follow standard hygiene advice such as washing your hands more often than usual for at least 20 seconds with soap and hot water. If you can’t wash your hands straightaway, use hand sanitiser until you have the opportunity to do so.
Make a personal financial plan
If the pandemic directly or indirectly impacted your financial situation, it is another factor to be anxious about. It may have reduced your income or left you temporarily unemployed or unsure about your job prospects.
So plan your finances, making sure that you are aware of what benefits you are entitled to get in your country, or if there is an easing on mortgage payments or other loans. It may also be useful to redo the household budgets for which several budget tools are available online. Staying in a stable financial position can have a rather beneficial effect on our wellbeing and mental state.
Help yourself as well by helping others cope
If you take care of yourself, you are better equipped to take care of your friends and family. Even if you are apart, you can always help others cope with stress through phone calls and video chats to feel less isolated. Helping others also helps you feel better.
While the situation is getting better in several countries of the world, things are still rough in several others. There is a long way to beat Covid-19, according to the World Health Organization. “The Covid-19 pandemic is a long way from over. But we have many reasons for optimism. The decline in cases and deaths during the first two months of the year shows that this virus and its variants can be stopped,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference mid-April.
If you find it difficult to cope, there are several ways to get help. You can always call your healthcare provider or general practitioner if you are struggling. In extreme cases, people may even have thoughts of suicide. It is preventable and help is available.
If you are in crisis, get immediate help:
Call 112
Hotline for abused women and children: 06-80 505-101
Mental First Aid: 06-1/20/30/60 116-123 or 06-80 505-505
Is your insurance premium reasonable? Is your price fair? Can we do anything to lower your insurance costs? What is the professional process that calculates the price of your insurance plan?
It is important for us to establish credibility around our pricing policy, and to make sure you know we are doing everything we can to control the price and keep it as fair and affordable as we possibly can.
Please see the main points below:
What is an insurance premium?
This is the name we call the sum of money you pay for your chosen insurance plan. Your quarterly or half-yearly payments are related to your chosen way to pay. You’ll see that your premium payments depend on the plan and option you have selected.
To avoid unnecessary surprises, you should double-check that you have chosen the correct plan, what is covered, and that you can afford to pay the premium to cover it.
Your personal premium calculations?
The main elements include your personal data, such as your age, where you live, whether you wish to have your family on your plan, and level of coverage you wish to obtain will influence the cost of your insurance plan. To this, we are forced to include additional factors which influence the cost of health care, and which can have an influence on the financial management of your plan. These include
Inflation
Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic
The cost of expensive and lengthy new drug and treatment therapies
This means that we have to be very precise when we calculate insurance premiums. We are aware of the fact that customers and brokers we work with are much more sensitive to premium increases than before. So, you should remain confident that our premium management is carried out with much care and attention as it is in our best interest to keep your premium low.
We work closely with our insuring partners (those who share the risk with us) to make sure you don’t have an unpleasant surprise when you receive your Policy Renewal Invitation each year.
Get to know the basic way insurance works:
Premiums increase as you get older
Making claims does not affect your premium
Your country of residence can make a difference
Your premium depends on the level of coverage you want
Regional, and global factors affect the cost of private healthcare
Premiums increase as you get older
Typically, your age-related premium increase will be around 3% per annum until you reach the age of 65. This percentage can be higher or lower depending on where you live, and the percentage increase will increase as you get older. Between the ages of 65 and 80, your age-related annual premium increase will be no greater than 6%.
Age is not the only factor that affects your premiums. Where you live, the level of coverage you want, and the actual cost of private healthcare also make a difference. So, your total premium increase will be higher than your age-related premium increase.
Claims won’t affect your premium
Unlike some providers, we won’t increase your renewal premium if you’ve made a claim. Members purchase an insurance policy in good faith, so we don’t think it is fair to penalise them for legitimate claims.
Instead, we use what’s known as a community-based model. We average the money we pay out in claims across all our members, so no one person or group of people has to suffer.
The country you live in
Premiums for health insurance are higher in countries where private healthcare is more expensive.
Directly and through our insuring partners, we are working closely with the leading private hospitals and clinics in pretty much every country on the planet. We know the doctors and specialists, we know how they like to work, and we know how much they charge for different medical treatments.
When we compare these charges to global averages, we begin to get a clear a picture of which cities, countries, and regions are expensive, and which are cheaper. We have decades worth of claims and medical data to help us accurately form our pricing model.
Of course, things change all the time. The cost of private healthcare in a country or region can skyrocket very quickly. Treatment for medical conditions in Switzerland and Belgium are as costly as they are in the United States of America. That simply wasn’t the case when we started our operations.
It is also true that international health insurance gives you cover for medical treatment in multiple countries, so we don’t calculate your premium solely according to the country in which you are currently living. For example, residents in Hungary or Poland, would typically travel to Germany or Austria for elective hospital treatment owing to these latter countries having better medical facilities.
Your premium depends on the coverage you want
If you want health insurance with a low excess (an excess is the agreed amount you will pay towards any medical treatment claim) and all the bells and whistles, you’ll have to pay more. Conversely, a plan with capped limits and fewer options won’t cost you so much. A policy with your co-payment (access) may reduce your premium.
For us, the most important thing is that you have the cover that you need. We are not keen on ‘upselling’ and we will never encourage you to purchase a more expensive plan. We’re just happy to have you as a member.
Regional, and global factors affecting the cost of private healthcare
Medical inflation – The inflation rate for private healthcare is consistently higher than general inflation. The ever-increasing demand for healthcare means that hospitals and clinics can charge higher prices. The costs of drugs and new sophisticated diagnostics procedures and treatments influence the cost of insurance premiums.
Cancer treatment costs – Increasing life spans mean that more people will have cancer at some point in their lives. Substantial investment in developing safer and more effective therapies has improved treatment outcomes. However, these therapies are often costly and can last for many years.
NextGen drug therapies – There are exciting advances in the field of medical technology, which are improving healthcare outcomes, but these are extremely expensive treatments.
The Coronavirus – The pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption and placed an extraordinary strain on healthcare systems around the world. It is a standard view that this strain will adversely affect hospital prices as they try to recover from COVID-19 disruption in the coming years.
Being fair to our members
Unlike other insurance providers, it is in our best interests to keep premium increases low!
Private healthcare is expensive and, as costs go up, health insurance premiums have to keep pace. We do everything possible to keep premium increases to an absolute minimum, and we’re completely transparent about how we calculate your premiums.
We are working with our insuring partners to secure the fairness of our pricing and also to offer you plenty of options to help reduce your insurance premium, if necessary.
Healthcare is a highly personal experience, so it deserves a personal service. There is a team of real people at the other end of the telephone line when you need us. Give it a try…
We also have a fantastic team in place who are here to help you during the lifetime of your plan, when it’s time to renew it, or when you need medical treatment. We’re smaller than global insurance conglomerates, but we like it that way as this means we can give each of our members much more personal attention.
Money-back guarantee
Whether you’re purchasing a new plan or you’re renewing your current plan, you can cancel it for any reason within 30 days of purchase or renewal. We’ll give you a full refund, provided you haven’t made any claim(s).
COVID-19
We know it’s tough out there, what with restrictions on personal freedom, impending economic recession, and everything else the COVID-19 pandemic entails. We’re here to help you through this period, so if you want to discuss your plan with us, please get in touch! We’ll be happy to help.
Did you know that good eating habits can help you get pregnant faster? Here’s how!
Globally, approximately 15% of couples of reproductive ages are seen as infertile and rather more show fertility problems. The extent to which nutrition can play a role in this has been investigated in many studies. However, studies in this field are often of low-quality. The randomized clinical trials were often carried out with small groups of participants and had different designs – partly with nutritional supplements and partly with different nutritional questionnaires.
In recent years, more dietary factors have been studied more specifically. But here, too, more comprehensive data and more complex analyses are needed to be able to make precise statements.
Generally, it can be said that the dietary recommendations, which are also made for the prevention of “civilization diseases” and for the promotionof health, in the same sense improve some fertility conditions of women and men.
In the following, I highlight a few points that showed a clearer correlation in positive or negative context. In general, however, it must be emphasized that there are certainly always several factors interacting, just as these topics have already been dealt with in previous lesson units – e.g., the quality and combination of food, the pollution and production conditions, etc. – see previous teaching letters)
Since one knows that the healthy and optimal conditions cannot be achieved by single nutrients or supplements, but in numerous studies the effects regarding fertility relationships, in both women and men, have been investigated by looking on single substances or dietary supplements, such study designs are not suitable from the outset to cover all important aspects. Such study concepts cannot analyze the natural food conditions, since many thousands of substances interact with the diet and there are thus so many variables that do not allow it to define precisely, which particularly promotes the desired effect.
In prospective case-control studies with the use of defined doses of a selection of nutrients (to maintain clarity and correlation determination), one can better guess possible interactions, but even these cannot capture the complex interaction of the thousands of nutrients of a healthy diet. The studies are based on pharmacological concept, on a design that wants to determine and define effects on specifically used mono substances or only few interacting substances. Nature, however, does not work in this way.
Despite these immanent difficulties, I give in this teaching letter an insight into data obtained on the question of better pregnancy planning or reduction of infertility in the context of nutrition. However, you should always be aware that, as mentioned, many more factors canplay decisive roles and that the supplementation of single substances or also multivitamin preparations is generally not a solution and may have at most occasionally only a limited support.
Generally, and with limited expressiveness (reduced significance), the following can be observed about better fertility: A healthy diet that provides a good supply of omega-3 fatty acids and phytochemicals (secondary plant substances) as well as vitamins (more frequently were studied, cryptoxanthin, lycopene, β-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitaminB9 (folate) selenium and zinc,) – this can be translated to food given by eating fish respective seafood, poultry, whole grains, cereals, vegetables and fruits, legumes, low-fat dairy (low fat milk etc.). In contrasts fertility was reduced by: diets rich in processed meat (e.g. sausage products) and especially red meat, as well as full-fat dairy products, fast carbs (rapidly absorbable sugars) especially sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets, and alcohol.
In the past, soya and dairy products were described as detrimental to fertility. Better research does not prove this link. In the contrary soya and soybean products seem to have benefits in women in therapeutic infertility treatment.
Also, the consumption of moderate doses of coffee as well as even small doses of alcohol does not seem to have any disadvantages in terms of fertility. Here, too, attention should always be paid to the entire diet and consumption of semi luxury food, since, if the diet is already poor and other risk factors, even a small dose of alcohol can cause disadvantages. It should always be thought and analyzed more “holistically”.
Antioxidants, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D
It is commonly written that antioxidants improve fertility. The administration of antioxidants as food supplements was occasionally seen to improve sperm quality; for the better fertility of the woman, this did not show a significant benefit. Note: Also, with regard to antioxidanteffects (e.g., by foods containing abundant phytochemicals and thus also antioxidant vitamins in the natural matrix of foods) the benefit cannot be limited to the biochemical antioxidant effects; these nutrients always develop many other important functions at the same time. In addition, based on the study results it is not possible to define which antioxidants are responsible for the benefit or which doses are responsible for this benefit.
This is explained by the fact that the synergic interaction of the many substances is needed, and individual substance analyses are not so meaningful.
Thus, antioxidant preparations are partly helpful, but partly not. Biology shows the need of the natural matrix and complex biochemical reactions catalyzed by many different substances!
If one nevertheless wants to make statements about individual substances, one can determine the omega-3 fatty acids and the folic acid as a mono-substance with a probable benefit in terms of fertility.
The extent to which omega-3 fatty acids can potentially benefit from the consumption of fish and seafood must be considered as a benefit-risk assessment if there is a risk of higher heavy metal pollution (e.g., mercury in some marine animals). The risk here does not only concern successful fertilization, even after that there is a significantly higher risk for e.g. an abort (heavy metals such as mercury pass through the placenta and develop on the fetus a 5-10times higher toxic effect compared to adults).
The additional folic acid intake (also as a supplement), which is above the dose of 400-450 g/day, as it is an evident recommendation for the prevention of spinal malformation (Spina Bifida with neural tube defects), seems to increase fertility in women.
Since folic acid doses up to 800 g/day are recommended anyway, if the early enough supplementation for the prophylaxis has been missed at least with 400 g folic acid /day minimum one month before pregnancy, and the higher dose did not show increased risks *, an intake approximately of 600 µg folate/day (in total from food and supplementation) can certainly be recommended in pregnancy planning. *a link with increased cancer risks, as in animal experiments, could not be substantiated in humans.
Although vitamin D is known to have much more important functions than previously researched mainly in terms of “bone health”; and although animal studies have seen links to better fertility, for humans studies vitamin D no benefits for better fertility were shown if there is no deficiency for vitamin D. In the case of vitamin D deficiency, which in any case comes only to a small proportion from the usual diet, but via the production in the skin during sun contact, vitamin D should be supplemented.
“Balanced healthy diet, supplementation of Folate, avoidance of pollutants, weight management and work life balance are key factors of getting pregnant.”
Of course, there should also be no insufficient supply of other nutrients (e.g., proteins, fatty acids, long-chain carbohydrates, phytochemicals, vitamins, fiber, etc.), as there may always be disadvantages for various organ functions from the deficiency situations, which also play a role in fertility. Just as the slogan about nutrition during pregnancy is true “not twice as much, but twice as good” applies, so does this already apply to better fertility.
The many effects of nutrition and the consumption of luxury foods are far from being fully analyzed, but many points can nevertheless show plausible, which can be rather disadvantageous or rather beneficial. In the same sense, this can be explained in the context of fertility.
Orientated, the so-called “Mediterranean Diet” (lots of vegetables and fruits, fish, legumes, herbs, whole grains, healthy vegetable oil such as olive oil) is good!
The intake of excessively high vitamin doses should also be avoided (especially vitamin A and especially isolated high dose vitamins in preparations or nutritional supplements), as these can damage the fetus. Anexception to supplementation is folic acid (folate or Vitamin B9). To ensure adequate folic acid supply and to avoid spina bifida malformation in the child, a higher intake of folic acid should take place at least already one month before fertilization (for safety as a supplement of at least 400µg/day). As mentioned above, a higher intake of folic acid may also increase fertility.
In addition to nutrition, other lifestyle factors, such as sufficient physical activity, avoidance of pollutants, reduction of stress and increasing resting time periods (work life balance) should promote health and thus fertility.
Avoiding obesity and achieving normal weight even before pregnancy is another especially important factor, as with greater overweight, many risk factors for the mother and child can increase during pregnancy and persist beyond that (see the article about Gestational Diabetes).
At least, women who are planning a pregnancy should be very careful when taking medication (always consult your gynecologist or other doctor).
In summary, it can be said and plausibly explained that, also in context of better fertility for both women and men, is important
• a balanced, healthydiet, as recommended in the food pyramid.
• The good composition with a clearly predominant vegetablecontent.
• Vegetable foods with a great variety of flavors and colors (great diversity – goal: at least red-yellow-green fruits and vegetables daily), which ensures the supply of phytochemicals (secondary plant substances), plays an important key role.
• Plenty of pulses and salads as well as culinary herbs complement the recommendation of at least “5 servings of vegetables and fruit a day” (3 vegetables and 2 fruit).
• In addition, there should be a supply of good fatty acids and good protein sources, which is why white, low-fat meat (poultry meat) and even better fish (especiallythe smaller sea fish that come from non-polluted seas) – via such cold sea fish (herring, salmon, cod), the bioactive forms ofomega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) are well supplied – if supplementation is required, oils from special microalgae are good vegan DHA and EPA sources.
• In all these points, attention should always be paid to the quality, which concerns the avoidance or reduction of pollutants (the dose makes the poison) and the hygienic, transport and storage conditions.
• Sufficient physical activity and avoidance of obesity (with its higher risk of diabetes and other diseases) must always be considered; the nutritional effects (risk factors or protective factors) cannot be seen separately from physical activity and weight management.
As we can see, it is always the same multifaceted interacting factors that are naturally important for the human organism and that play important key roles when considering special functional areas – such as better fertility ratios here.
For some people, therefore, only single areas need to be optimized (with low deficits or a few unfavorable conditions); for others, several interventions or optimizations are required, some of which can only be achieved with extended therapeutic measures.
In addition to lifestyle factors, success can always depend on individual genetic constitutions. The lifestyle factors play important roles for the basic requirements of well-functioning organs and homeostasis (balance of physiological body functions) e.g., blood flow and metabolic conditions as well as immune reactions and numerous protective mechanisms. Lifestyle factors, such as the diet and physical activity, even have epigenetic effects (they can modify gene functions – i.e., for example, mute some “risk genes” (gene silencing) or strengthen “repair genes”).
Prof. Dr. Werner Seebauer is Dean of Studies – Association of German Preventologists, Head of Preventive Medicine Department of Institute of Transcultural Health Sciences (European University Viadrina) and Head of Preventive Medicine – NESA (The New European Surgical Academy). Since 2000, prof. dr. Werner Seebauer worked only in preventive medicine, after ten years spent at the Frankfurt University Hospital. He is also involved in the medical professionals training for nutrition and prevention.
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