Financial group Penta is not so keen on the plan of PM Robert Fico to create a single state-run health insurer in Slovakia, and will defend its interest through the courts if necessary.
Penta owns the health insurance company Dovera, which the state would have to nationalise, along with insurer Union, if the PM’s plan is to go ahead. Penta argues that the state can’t do a forced takeover of the company as the constitutional requirement for nationalisation to be in the ‘public interest’ has not been met.
Daily Hospodarske Noviny cites partner at Penta, Eduard Matak, as saying the issue could even be dealt with by international arbitration proceedings, and so the company is confident that the law is on their side, an opinion shared by some constitutional lawyers.
The re-nationalisation of the Slovak health insurance sector would cost the country around EUR 500 million according to estimates, so the government would have to borrow. Last year Dovera generated a profit of EUR 39 million while Union made EUR 9 million.