A government session today pushed forward the plan for the Slovak Republic to have a single health insurer, meaning the state-run health insurer would have to take over the insurance stock of private health insurers on the market.
The plan, to be formulated by health minister Zuzana Zvolenska in the next few months, should theoretically be non-profit. Fico’s government sees three options, namely the state buying out the two private health insurers on the market, Dovera and Union, nationalisation or by creating new legislation where the state could control privately-owned companies.
Being from Canada, our health insurance system is completely government operated. The only private health insurance available is if you want coverage for massage therapy, physiotherapy, osteopath however not the core services. This is not communism, this is how basically all Western countries operate their health care systems except for the USA. Also being from Canada we know the disaster that USA health care can be. Slovakia has private FOR PROFIT health insurers ONLY because the right wing fiscal American based and influenced conservatives strolled into the country and imposed it on the Slovak people.
Not to mention have you ever tried to understand the Slovak private health insurance system. Its complete chaos and designed to confuse even the brightest minds. It is truly a rapacious profit making exercise for the financial elite that imposed after the fall of Communism.
Well said, Richard P! if you have been here for any length of time you will find most basic functions of almost everthing unduly complicated, confusing, time consuming and full of “hidden expense”.
The latest act of lunacy is the proposal to tax tips – how? God only knows. You can be sure that, if adopted, this new revenue stream will cost more to administer that it raises – job creation scheme?
“Financial elite” – Bobby no Mates pontificated about the need to tax workers gratuities whilst wearing one of his collection of very expensive watches. Bearing in mind his insistance that his only source of income is his parliamentary stipend, maybe the tax man should ask where he got the Euro 20K Tissot from and how he paid for it. Similar questions should be asked of a number of other politicians – but hey, this is Slovakia were the pigs get fat squeezing every cent out of decent hard working people. Shades of Animal Farm?
Mr. Lubos Lopatka, head of social insurance provider Socialna Poistovna has resigned his post because Labour Minister Jan Richter wants to re-instate all the branch managers Lopatka sacked for “financial irregularities” with the rather telling comment “there is an interest that they return to their positions”. As an added twist Lopatka will almost certainly be replaced by SMER MP Dusan Munko who was sacked by Radicova’s govt. because of “non transparent handling of state funds and signing contracts disadvantageous to the state”
All of Lopatka’s work, which has resulted in the fund not only collecting more money that ever before but also actually generating a 27.5 million surplus in the first 5 months of this year because of his cuts in expenditure and tighter controls on “spending” – all this is going down the pan as Munko slips back into power, re-employs his mates and gets back to his dodgy dealings.
Downward, ever downward!
Typical Fico. Didn’t get his way to stop health insurance companies making profits…now continues his vendetta.
No other priorities in the depth of a recession?
No one should be making a profit from first line healthcare cost, nor should an Insurance company determine who get and who does not get care, based on cost ,either drugs or an operation ….Insurance company despite their `family` TV image , `we can save you when you flood `PR adverts all showing them as the caring race are in fact not Mother Theresa. The problem is how do you make a State run company actually efficient and non corrupt …impossible I would say with Smer or Slovaks at the helm . Perhaps the Austrians should run it ?
State controlled = Job creation scheme for political nominees, family, friends and lackies.
Not for profit = Other than for those listed above.
Slovakia isn’t a democracy, it is the communists’ interpretation of the principle, amended to suit their discredited ideology.
May I suggest a new National motto ” Downwards, forever downwards”
State controled Privately-owned Companies = Communism!!!
So my Union Health care, which I am satisfied with, will now become something new? WHO WILL DO ALL THE PAPERWORK??? Not me! I wish I could have had a vote on this, as my vote would have been NO WAY!!! This should have been something to vote on in a whole from every citizen, not the money hungry MPs. Non-Profit my ASS!!! Someone is making money off this, otherwise why change it?
In my books….this is a step backwards….
Hey guys for example in Switzerland, hospitals, energy supply, postal services, bus services, telephone network, every basic infrastructures are state-owned! is Switzerland now a communist country???
you don’t have other more profound arguments?