The medical subscription and insurance market generates revenues worth PLN 6.9 billion and will grow by 15-20% annually until 2026, according to the report “Health insurance market in Poland: a chance for double-digit growth” prepared by PwC Polska. The share of insurance companies in this market will increase from 13% to 20-25% and the main growth factors include an increase in service prices and a growing customer base.
PwC: The medical subscription and insurance market will grow by 15-20% annually
“Expenses on private healthcare will increase by more than 10-15% annually over the next 4 years due to insufficient public funding and the fact that lower quality of public services is driven by private expenses on healthcare in Poland. The expansion of private clinic networks led to a rapid increase in “indirect” expenses, i.e. mainly products of subscription companies and, to a lesser extent, medical insurance. Even if a small part of the population has access to medical subscriptions and private health insurance, patients still spend over PLN 20 billion annually on private care paid per service”, said Arkadiusz Kramza, Partner of PwC Polska, quoted in the release.
The private medicine market will grow thanks to three fundamental factors. Prices of services will increase by 11-13% due to the fact that medical inflation is high and easily transferred to customers. Due to high demand and limited supply of specialists, “medical” inflation will be around 5% above average inflation. The customer base will increase by 5-7%, while the increase in the number of customers in 2016-2020 was nearly 10%. At the same time, we can expect new products to generate new revenue streams on the market, adding an additional 1-3% growth. Market players are investing heavily in expanding their offer in the field of hospital insurance, complementary insurance and the financing of medicines.
“About 70% of companies do not purchase healthcare for their employees. Lack of interest of employees is due to the fact that they will have to finance or co-finance it themselves. Currently 47% of surveyed companies do not participate in the costs of health services and for 19% of respondents, these programmes are co-financed – employers pay about half the price. In terms of the form of service (medical subscription vs. health insurance), there is no strong preference – the type of product is not very important for companies. They simply want good care for their employees”, added Michał Dubno, Director of PwC Polska.
The lack of staff requires investment in IT solutions that improve the efficiency of their work. Support in making appointments with doctors can be achieved through the integration of facilities cooperating with insurers, extensive information about doctors, their specialisations, experience and specificity of the procedures performed as well as the ability to assess the quality of the doctor’s work – rankings, etc. Thanks to patient coordination models, we will reduce unnecessary appointments – the patient will go straight away to the appropriate medical specialist (including a nurse, physiotherapist, internist, specialist doctor), he/she will come for such an appointment with the tests performed, and the so-called symptom checker will allow them to assess the symptoms of the disease and decide on further steps.
Accident insurance for a child may not be enough. Especially if it is bought at school at the turn of August and September. And rightly so. A supplement worth considering is a private health insurance policy. More and more parents, out of concern for the safety of their children, are choosing private health insurance for children. The premium allows them to protect the youngest ones from the moment of their birth.
The school accident insurance policy is most often a guarantee of payment of benefits for an accident such as a broken arm, contusion or other physical injury. In case of illness, parents must rely on the National Health Fund (NFZ). However, using the public health service can be very time-consuming in terms of access to specialist doctors, examinations, vaccinations and home visits. Health insurance is a very useful and valued product. Both adults and children will benefit from it. And the advantages of having insurance can be multiplied, so it is worth providing such a benefit to yourself and your family. Small patients, who are susceptible to various diseases and injuries from a young age and need medical care, will particularly benefit from health insurance.
When will a child need health insurance?
Undoubtedly, private insurance for children in Poland is gaining popularity year by year. Although free medical care is available in our country, access to many specialists usually requires waiting for months, which unfortunately affects especially the youngest patients. By choosing a private policy for a child, we can make an appointment with a doctor of a given specialisation within a few days, not months – without a referral, stress and queues. During the preschool and school years, children’s immune system is still developing. Hence the high morbidity, frequent viral infections and infectious diseases. Therefore, diseases such as smallpox, mumps, tonsillitis, bronchitis and angina should be expected. Children also develop more serious or chronic conditions – such as asthma or allergies.
Health insurance for a child provides extensive protection – we can count on a very efficient treatment process for a child after an accident resulting in bodily injury. Importantly, the policy is valid throughout the year. Private health insurance for a child is a quick help for the youngest ones and an excellent alternative to long queues for NFZ benefits. Paying only a few dozen zlotys a month, we can provide children with the protection they deserve (the cheapest health insurance packages cost less than PLN 50). An advantage of a private policy is also the high quality of medical services – the facilities are usually well-equipped and modernly furnished, which translates into greater comfort for small patients.
Private health insurance is still popular among Poles
At the end of the first quarter of this year, the number of people with private health insurance amounted to nearly 4.3 million, i.e. 12.5% more than a year earlier. In the first three months of 2023, Poles spent PLN 454.4 million on these insurance policies.
Private health insurance in the first quarter of 2023:
4.3 million – the number of people using private health insurance in Poland at the end of the first quarter of 2023.
PLN 454.4 million – gross written premium in health insurance at the end of the first quarter of 2023.
Let us recall that at the end of 2022, as reported by the Polish Chamber of Insurance (PIU), the number of people with private health insurance policies was nearly 4.23 million, i.e. 9.2% more than a year earlier. Poles spent PLN 1.3 billion on private insurance policies, i.e. 17% more year on year.
Despite inflation, interest in insurance is not decreasing
According to the PIU data, there is still a double-digit increase in the number of insured people on an annual basis compared to the previous year. Inflation, the increase in the cost of living, as well as the growing propensity of Poles to save do not translate into a decline in the popularity of private health insurance. The results even prove that many people see that managing their own health through insurance is effective and also brings savings, as opposed to purchasing individual medical services on the market. Insurers negotiate prices with medical service providers, so they can offer more favourable conditions to both individual and group clients, e.g. employers. Therefore, private health insurance is appreciated by individuals and employers. For the latter, keeping employees in good health is a key issue on which work efficiency depends. Additional protection for employees, which includes preventive medical check-ups, promotion of a healthy lifestyle and quick access to doctors, diagnostics or hospital treatment, ensures a faster recovery and return to work.
Investing in employee health pays off
“Polish society is ageing, it is not healthy and public healthcare is struggling with more and more problems. Employers know about this, which is why they do everything to have effective, and thus also healthy, employees. Recently, the number of sick leaves has increased, mainly due to respiratory and musculoskeletal diseases. Mental health problems are getting worse. Some of these diseases can be prevented through prophylaxis, cured quickly or stabilised. Access to treatment offered by insurers is invaluable here”, says Dorota M. Fal, Advisor to the Management Board of the Polish Chamber of Insurance (PIU).
How Poles take care of health? What is the awareness of the society about physical condition and preventive medical check-ups? Does inflation and its impact on the finances of Poles also affect their health? This is what the e-recepta.net analytical team has prepared in the report below. A survey was conducted among residents of the 10 largest cities – the results could be better. Unfortunately, the awareness of Polish society in the subject of health is still low compared to Europe.
Most residents of Polish cities take care of preventive medical check-ups, but there is still a strong group that does not care enough about prophylaxis. In addition, not every patient pays attention to what the doctor says. When purchasing medicines, we follow the recommendations of specialists, but the percentage of people vaccinated is relatively small. New solutions facilitating medical consultations or the purchase of medicines are gaining in popularity – we are talking here about teleconsultations and e-prescriptions.
In the survey of the e-recepta.net analytical team, the following were verified, e.g.: the frequency of using prescription medicines, most common ailments, frequency of infections, expenditure on medicines and number of people who were forced to reduce their expenditure on necessary medicines due to inflation, how often Poles undergo preventive medical check-ups and what group of society underwent preventive vaccinations. The collected data made it possible to create a comprehensive report and several rankings showing the differences in taking care of health depending on the city of residence.
As we read in the most important conclusions of the report published on the e-recepta.net website:
80.3% of Poles have taken prescription medicines in the last six months;
residents of Wrocław used prescription medicines most often, people from Warsaw – least often;
Poles most often complain about headaches and general weakness;
most respondents experience more serious illness and infections once every few years. Residents of Szczecin struggle with infections most often, residents of Warsaw – least often;
49% of respondents spend more than PLN 100 per month on medicines. People from Szczecin spend more than PLN 300 on medicines most often, people from Katowice – least often;
31.6% of Poles declare that inflation forced them to save when buying necessary medicines. Inflation was most felt by residents of Bydgoszcz, Katowice and Lublin;
teleconsultations are very popular – 51.3% of Poles consulted a doctor by phone in the last twelve months;
35.5% of residents of Polish cities do not regularly perform preventive medical check-ups;
23.8% of respondents declare that they have never been vaccinated – neither against flue nor other diseases. Vaccinations are the most popular in Poznań, the least popular in Katowice;
the majority of respondents (about 60%) assess their health state as average;
from among civilisation diseases, Poles are most afraid of cancer;
40.4% of respondents began to take better care of their health after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Very popular prescription medicines
The data collected in the e-recepta.net survey shows that as many as 80.3% of residents of Polish cities declare that they have taken prescription medicines in the last six months. It concerned more often women (81.9%) than men (73.9%). The percentage of people who need prescriptions increases with age. It is the lowest in the 19-29 age group (70.8%) and the highest in the 60+ age group (86.1%).
Residents of Wrocław (86.4%), Poznań (83.8%) and Bydgoszcz (83.5%) used prescription medicines most often. People from Gdańsk (78.5%), Szczecin (77.9%) and Warsaw (75%) bought medicines of this type least often. The average in most cities oscillates around 80%. The difference between Wrocław (the first in the ranking) and Warsaw (the last in the ranking) is clearly outlined – it amounts to 11.4 percentage points.
Most common ailments of Poles
Poles most often complain about headache (38.9%), weakness (31.2%), sore throat (29.2%), abdominal pain (20.8%) and fever (16.3%). Almost half of respondents declare that they have also struggled with other health problems in the last six months, e.g. very frequent high blood pressure or allergic rhinitis.
According to the report, 35.2% of Poles get sick more seriously once every few years and 14.6% declare that they are never sick. Still, almost a third of respondents experience more serious infections on average once a year (30.6%) and nearly a quarter have similar problems even several times a year (19.6%). Just over half of respondents need stronger medicines for a serious infection at least once a year.
How much Poles spend on medicines?
Almost half of Poles (49%) spend on average over PLN 100 a month on medicines. In this group, 38.1% of respondents spend PLN 100-299 on medicines, 7.5% spend PLN 300-499, 2.4% – PLN 500-800, and 1% – more than PLN 800.
“Such a large number of respondents who regularly leave at least PLN 100 in pharmacies is consistent with the survey showing that a large proportion of Poles are chronically ill – which requires regular spending on medicines” – we read in the published results.
Medicines, especially those not reimbursed, fetch high prices in Poland. They are a burden on the budget, especially for people of retirement age, who also most often need medicines for diseases such as diabetes or hypertension. High inflation (14.7% in April 2023 – according to the indicators of Statistics Poland (GUS)) has a negative impact on the wallets of Poles who are looking for savings. 31.6% of respondents answered that due to inflation, they had to start saving on necessary medicines – residents of Bydgoszcz (39.2%), Katowice (38.9%) and Lubin (36.4%) were forced most often to make such savings. Respondents from Kraków (28.6%), Szczecin (27.9%), Gdańsk (24.7%) and Warsaw (22.1%) were the least likely to reduce their expenditure on medicines.
Almost a third of respondents could not afford to buy necessary medicines – this shows how much inflation impacts the financial situation of Poles and also affects their health. This applies in particular to the elderly.
Who does preventive medical check-ups?
Poles are not willing to undergo preventive medical check-ups – according to various reports, the percentage of people who do not conduct any examinations has fluctuated in recent years from 40% up to 60%. Moreover, a significant proportion of Poles do not know that many tests (especially in appropriate age groups or in people with risk factors) are free of charge.
Most respondents of the e-recepta.net survey declare that they do regular check-ups (64.5%). However, still more than a third of respondents do not use this type of tests (35.5%). In this case, there is not much correlation with age. Women (65.1%) are slightly more willing to get tested than men (62.3%).
Most people undergo preventive medical check-ups in Gdańsk (73.1%), Warsaw (72.8%) and Lublin (70.9%). Least often in Katowice (58.8%) and Łódź (56.4%).
Poles are still distrustful of vaccinations
Only 76.2% of respondents declare that they have been vaccinated against flue or any other disease at least once. It looks bad compared to Europe – especially since the question concerned diseases in general, i.e. flu, COVID or mandatory vaccinations before travelling to some parts of the world. As for the EU countries – 75% of people were vaccinated against COVID-19 (it is about 60% in Poland). In terms of flue vaccination, Poland remains at the very edge of Europe – only about 7% of people are vaccinated against it.
Most vaccinations are carried out in Poznań (82%), Kraków (81.3%) and Warsaw (80.9%). The least in Gdańsk (73.1%), Wrocław (69.7%) and Katowice (68.3%). The difference between the first and last place in the ranking is as much as 13.8 percentage points.
Patients like teleconsultations
Teleconsultations turned out to be a convenient solution for basic consultations and are very popular. In the last year, 51.3% of respondents have used teleconsultations, which shows that telephone contact with a doctor is treated by many people as the fastest and most convenient form of consultation.
Teleconsultations are the most popular in Łódź (59.5%), Lublin (58.2%) and Kraków (56%). Katowice and Szczecin (47.1%), Bydgoszcz (45.6%) and Wrocław (43.9%) were below the average.
This form of consultation with a doctor is more likely to be used by women than men. The percentage of people who choose this form of consultation is higher in the younger age groups – the older the patients, the less often they choose this form of consultation.
When was the last time you checked on your boss? Chances are that they are in an even worse situation than you. At least that’s what the latest survey commissioned by Slack shows.
Your manager may be even more burned out than you, according to a new Slack survey of mid-level managers. As many as 43% of surveyed managers reported burnout, which is more than any other employee group.
Managers are frustrated with having to enforce orders to come back to work in the office, said labour experts to Bloomberg.
Mid-level managers are at a greater risk of burnout than any other employee group, according to a new Future Forum survey conducted by Slack among more than 10,000 office employees.
Among the surveyed mid-level managers, 43% said they experienced burnout as a result of chronic workplace stress. Employees with no subordinates reported the second highest percentage – 40%, followed by senior managers – 37% and executives – 32%.
Managers who fell into the gap between entry-level employees and management also scored lowest on work-life balance, and reported the highest levels of stress and anxiety.
Employee burnout threatens financial results
As the survey shows, burnout is bad not only for employees, but also for financial results. It causes a 32% decrease in efficiency and a 60% decrease in concentration.
According to Future Forum, part of the reason why company directors struggle with this issue is that “executives and team leaders face new challenges caused by changing expectations and norms in the workplace.”
For example, enforcing return-to-office initiatives often falls to lower-level managers, putting them in the position of the “bad guy”, even if they themselves disagree with the orders, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
Managers think that what’s good for them is good for everyone
There is also the problem of managing staff in a hybrid or virtual work environment as managers struggle to adapt to the new normal, said Sheela Subramanian, Co-Founder of Future Forum.
“I often hear managers say that working outside the office makes it difficult to connect and cooperate, and reflects on the company culture, and about 25% of the managers participating in our survey cited this issue as the top concern”, said Subramanian.
“But it may be the matter of executives believing that what worked for them in the past will work best for everyone. However, the data shows that executives and non-executives have very different experiences.”
MediSky offers solutions that will organise and cover all costs of treatment as well as medical transport to the nearest hospital that will provide proper care. But what is medical transport, how much does it cost, what should be taken into consideration? These and other questions are answered in our interview by Przemysław Hołownia, Director of NORD AMBULANSE.
Let’s start with the basics. What is medical transport and when can we need it?
Przemysław Hołownia: Medical transport is the transport of sick people with limited mobility, carried out using specialised means of transport such as an ambulance or a medical aircraft. Both means of transport enable safe transport of the patient, e.g. in a lying position. Medical transport is particularly useful e.g. in the case of orthopaedic injuries, namely fractures, when often the patient should not move independently.
So, medical transport can be used by a person who cannot cope on their own?
Exactly, medical transport is intended for people who are not able to use public transport on their own. In such a situation, they are transported with the assistance of rescuers/paramedics from point A to point B and back, if necessary.
What kind of transport do you provide?
We provide both types of services: ground medical transport (by ambulance) and air medical transport (by medical or scheduled aircraft – with the assistance of a paramedic/doctor).
Air travel for tourist purposes is not the cheapest nowadays, let alone for medical purposes. What are the prices of such a service, what do they depend on?
The average cost of an ambulance ride is PLN 3 per km, e.g. the cost of medical transport in an ambulance from Berlin to Warsaw with the assistance of paramedics will oscillate around PLN 4,000 gross. Each transport is priced individually and the price is influenced by e.g. the composition of the ambulance team or the priority of such transport. The cost of transport by medical aircraft, e.g. from London to Gdańsk, oscillates around EUR 20,000 – here the price is influenced by the patient’s condition, airport fees or transport priority, among other factors.
We already know the price, so can I arrange such transport in a similar way as I call an ambulance?
The medical transport procedure is not complicated. As far as it concerns domestic transport by ambulance, it is based mainly on a telephone conversation with the dispatcher, determining the details of transport and sending a transport order via a dedicated notification link.
The notification of international transport, both by air and ground, should additionally include the consent of the attending physician for transport (the attending physician often decides which type of transport is advisable) and a medical report which is issued by the attending physician or the physician on duty.
Medical transport is stressful for the patient and his/her family. How do you try to influence the comfort of your “passenger”?
Medical transport itself should not generate stress. Rather a situation that forces the patient to use such transport can be stressful. Anxiety may be caused by the lack of knowledge regarding the medical transport procedure. For many of us, it seems very complicated. Therefore, the first conversation with the dispatcher is very important. The dispatcher will explain step by step what the medical transport will look like, will help in arranging the necessary documents and will remotely accompany the entire procedure.
Who mainly uses your services – people who do not have any insurance or maybe people who e.g. purchased travel insurance?
80% of medical transport carried out by us is covered from the private funds of the patient/family. It often happens that the family is forced to take out a loan for this purpose. Unfortunately, when we go on vacation, we often forget about additional travel or health insurance, which results in a burden for our loved ones. Health insurance, compared to travel costs, is often an unnoticeable cost but protects us not only against high costs of hospital treatment, but also against the costs of returning to the country using specialised means of medical transport.
Is there space for your activities in Poland or is it rather a domain on international markets?
Our registered office is located in the Tri-City, so Poland is our main space.
You have been operating on the market as NORD AMBULANSE since 2011. What is the biggest challenge in your industry?
Uncontrollable inflation ? Over the years, we have learnt to deal with stress and time pressure. Of course, as in every industry, there are new problems/situations that we have not faced before, but my experience allows me to say that there is no situation without a solution ?
Universal public healthcare is based on insurance. As with all insurance, it is characterised by the existence of an insurance premium paid by the person at risk in exchange for insurance coverage provided in the form of defined benefits. However, in the case of public general health insurance, we become insured “automatically”, i.e. by law, the premium is deducted from our remuneration (or paid by the entrepreneur in the same way as income tax) and goes to the National Health Fund (NFZ). But there are also groups of insured people who do not pay premiums to the National Health Fund, such as the unemployed or students. Hence the universality of this insurance, which is an expression of the state’s protectiveness. Unfortunately, the same universality affects the incompatibility with the needs of insured people in case of illness.
Although the efficiency of the health service was not good before, the pandemic has drastically shown how short is the “duvet” that NFZ must cover health services with. The regulations adopted in 2022 only worsened the existing difficult financial situation. Highly specialised services, medical rescue, medicines for people aged 75+ and pregnant women, financed so far from budget funds, have been transferred to NFZ. The real decrease in the funds allocated by NFZ for health services was also caused by the regulation suspending the financing of insurance premiums for students, soldiers and children from orphanages from the state budget.
Supplementary insured
Therefore, despite the fact that the basis for financing health services in Poland is public universal healthcare, it is not an effective way to ensure protection in case of illness or health disorder, which no one denies anymore. The only question left is how to fix it. I share the view that the healthcare system includes both public health insurance and supplementary private health insurance of an individual or group nature. Unfortunately, the complementary role of the health insurance market is not recognised by the legislator, which remains deaf to the projects of introducing a tax relief enabling the deduction of private health insurance premiums from the amount of income tax.
Condemned to public healthcare, we should recognise its basic nature. However, only supplementing this protection with additional private health insurance (possibly also a medical subscription) may lead to the provision of healthcare in line with our needs. Faster access to medical services, a wider choice of medical and therapeutic entities is possible only by supplementing the use of the so-called basket of benefits guaranteed by NFZ.
Increasing the number of services provided and shortening the waiting time for an appointment guaranteed under private health insurance is a relief for the public sector. According to the data as at the end of 2022, 4.08 million Poles use private insurance, which provides a real relief to the public sector. This means that it is possible to finance more or more expensive health services from the funds collected by NFZ. Of course, supplementarity should not mean duplication and double (or even triple in the case of entrepreneurs) financing of the same services. The complexity of protection is a topic for a separate column.
What about this age
On average, we live shorter and shorter. The average life expectancy of men in Poland in 2021 was almost 72 years and was two years and three months shorter than in 2019. In the case of women, the average life expectancy was almost 80 years and was two years and one month shorter than in 2019. Of course, this trend is influenced by the pandemic. Its consequences on the medical care system are still felt, e.g. in the form of the so-called health debt. In Poland, the mortality rate due to civilisation diseases – cardiovascular, malignant tumours and diabetes – is increasing. According to the data of Statistics Poland (GUS), they are the most common cause of death in the country (65%).
Quick access to health services provided by professional medical personnel extends life.
Author: Dorota Maśniak
Associate Professor w University of Gdansk, Head of Insurance Law Laboratory
When we think about France, we mainly think of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, beautiful monuments, rich culture. However, France today is a country that is full of contrasts as well as economic and social problems.
A country that is depopulating
Let’s start with the state of French society in terms of demographics. Statistically, it does not look good.
In March 2023, France recorded the lowest number of births since 1994. However, a higher number of conceptions and an increase in births were recorded in 2021, during lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The population of France was 68 million in January 2023. In 2022, the population grew by 0.3% – 723,000 babies were born, which is about 19,000 less than in 2021, when the number of births increased, ending a series of six consecutive years of declines. The fertility rate was 1.80 children per woman in 2022 and 1.84 in 2021. In 2022, 667,000 people died in France, namely 5,000 more than in 2021 and only 2,000 less than in 2020, when the Covid-19 epidemic began. Such a high number of deaths is caused by the ageing of the population, but also by the continuation of the pandemic and heat waves. Life expectancy at birth is 85.2 years for women and 79.3 years for men, which is close to the 2021 level.
The economy is stable but with problems
Since we know what the demographic situation is, maybe the economic situation of the country looks better?
France’s economy is the second largest in the European Union and the seventh largest in the world. There is no doubt that it is a significant economic player on a global scale. There used to be a saying that “when France sneezes, Europe has a cold”. Even today, in a more globalised world, we can see a shadow of truth in these words. Although France itself is also not free from the influence of other economies. This was proven by the year 2020, when the country’s GDP fell by as much as 7.9%. This caused the economy to regress to roughly 2015 levels.
In 2021, the economic recovery after the pandemic was impressive. The recorder increase was at the level of 6.8%. According to calculations, in 2022 the growth reached 2.6% and the economy returned to the level of 2019. Projections for 2023 are subject to significant uncertainty related to the course of the war in Ukraine. Additional risks are related to the volume and price of gas supplies as well as the scale and duration of government activities aimed at relieving households and businesses. It should be stressed that France allocated the most funds in 2022 to help the economy. It is expected that next year, in 2024, the GDP growth will amount to approx. 0.4%.
In terms of HICP inflation, France is doing better than all other EU countries. It brings up the rear of the price increase level practically every month. However, this does not mean that inflation is not a problem. Already in 2021, France exceeded the inflation target of 2%. It is estimated that this level will be 4% this year, i.e. above the creeping inflation threshold.
French people are aware, so they are insured
France can be said to be the world capital of culture but what distinguishes the country on the Seine from the rest of the world is its high awareness of healthcare. As many as 95% of French people have additional health insurance. According to the High Council for the Future of Health Insurance (HCAAM), the goal has almost been reached. Only 5% of French people are not covered by supplementary insurance. They are mostly people living in poverty. Half of French people who are not covered by insurance have an income of less than EUR 970. Among the poorest 20% of households, the coverage rate increases to 88%.
In the case of insured people, differences exist depending on which sector they work in – private, public or if they are self-employed. The latter are covered at 94% compared to 97% for private sector employees. However, even among private sector employees, the proportion of those with precarious agreements or low income is smaller.
97% of retirees have supplementary health insurance and they spend 7% of their income on it. Poor households spend 10% of their income on premiums and the rest on supplementary health insurance.
Increasing prices
HCAAM says that health insurance prices have increased significantly in recent years. It also draws attention to increasingly complex agreements. And all these factors may have a negative impact on the future number of insured people. “Given the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 health crisis, businesses and households may cut back or even drop insurance coverage in the coming months,” says HCAAM.
According to the announcement of the President of Statistics Poland (GUS) of 21st April 2023, the average monthly salary in the enterprise sector, including profit-sharing, amounted to PLN 7,178.40 in the first quarter of 2023. Therefore, the voluntary health insurance premium in June is PLN 646.06.
The basis for calculating the voluntary insurance premium is the amount of the declared monthly income, however, not lower than the amount of the average monthly salary in the enterprise sector, including profit-sharing.
Therefore, the voluntary health insurance premium calculated on the basis of the amount of PLN 7,178.40 for April, May and June 2023 is not less than PLN 646.06 per month.
The National Health Fund (NFZ) makes coverage by voluntary health insurance dependent on the payment of an additional fee if the break in health insurance and payment of premiums is continuously
from 3 months to a year – the fee is not less than PLN 1,435.68 (20% of the calculation basis) and is paid in full
longer than one year to two years – the fee is not less than PLN 3,589.20 (50% of the calculation basis) and it is possible to spread it over 3 instalments
longer than two years to five years – the fee is not less than PLN 7,178.40 (100% of the calculation basis) and it is possible to spread it over 6 instalments
longer than five years to ten years – the fee is not less than PLN 10,767.60 (150% of the calculation basis) and it is possible to spread it over 9 instalments
longer than ten years – the fee is not less than PLN 14,356.80 (200% of the calculation basis) and it is possible to spread it over 12 instalments
The calculation basis of the health insurance premium is published on the website of Statistics Poland (GUS) after the 15th day of the month beginning the next quarter.
The premium in the new amount is effective from the 1st day of the month beginning the quarter in which the announcement was made.
Who can get insured voluntarily?
A voluntary health insurance contract with the National Health Fund (NFZ) may also be concluded despite having the title to compulsory health insurance, i.e. despite having the status of a family member (a family member is entitled to benefits as a person registered for health insurance by the person paying the premium).
Voluntary insurance, despite having the status of a family member, is possible in exceptional cases: it may concern e.g. a spouse of the person paying the health insurance premium.
A person who, despite having the title to insurance as a family member, decides for voluntary health insurance, makes a written statement that they are aware of the possibility to use healthcare as a family member but resign from it in favour of their own title to health insurance (as a voluntarily insured person).
Over 4 million Poles use private health insurance
At the end of 2022, the number of people with private health insurance amounted to nearly 4.23 million, i.e. 9.2% more than a year earlier. Poles spent PLN 1.3 billion on private insurance policies, i.e. 17% more year on year. This way, we try to address our main concerns related to life and health. According to a report of the Polish Insurance Association (PIU) entitled “How insurance changes Poland and its people”, as many as 80% of Poles are afraid that they will not have enough money for the treatment of a serious illness. Almost 70% are concerned about the lack of access to medical care.
The rising costs of living prompt Poles not only to look for additional employment in the country, but also to emigrate for work, writes “Rzeczpospolita”.
The daily reports that Germany and the Netherlands are the main seasonal job destinations of Poles, both those already completed and those planned.
“More and more people have plans to emigrate. This can be seen in the statistics of the OLX Praca portal made available to “Rzeczpospolita”, where candidates for work abroad sent almost 700,000 applications in the first quarter of this year, which is more by as much as 90% than a year earlier”, the daily reads.
Also representatives of employment agencies talk about a visible increase in the number of applications for job offers abroad this year. Paulina Piskor, President of Contrain, notes in an interview with the newspaper that there are not only 37% applicants more compared to the previous year, but also that “we are often contacted by couples or entire groups of friends who would like to improve their financial situation.”
“It happens that they take leave in Poland to get a seasonal job and save faster for a car, repayment of credit or a wedding”, she adds.
Higher salaries are the main reason for going abroad for work. Konrad Grygo, analyst of the OLX portal quoted by “Rzeczpospolita”, underlines that more than half of this year’s applications concern Germany, which is also due to the large number of job advertisements in this country. “They account for almost 60% of foreign job offers on OLX”, he emphasised.
The motivation for working across the western border is mainly a higher pay, e.g. the minimum wage in Germany is EUR 12 (approx. PLN 55) per hour and EUR 12.4 in the Netherlands.
