Private health insurance is becoming increasingly popular these days. Poles decide to buy them because compulsory insurance does not satisfy them, and the scope of their services is often inadequate to the price. In this article, you will learn how much private health insurance costs, what determines its price and what its benefits are.
What is health insurance
Health insurance is a benefit aimed at maintaining good health, protecting against the effects of diseases and treating the insured person. It is independent of that provided by the National Health Fund. In Poland, it is one of the most important and, at the same time, basic benefits that entitles you to use the health service. There are public (compulsory) and private (voluntary) health insurance. In order to be eligible for such insurance, the premiums resulting from the contract must be paid (usually monthly).
Private health insurance – access to doctors
Health insurance gives access to a wide range of doctors with various specializations. Medi Package offers unlimited consultations to doctors from 7 to 22 specialties. All specializations offered by Medi Package are: gynecologist, urologist, dermatologist, ophthalmologist, proctologist, laryngologist, pulmonologist, general surgeon, orthopedist, neurologist, diabetologist, allergologist, rheumatologist, nephrologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, hematologist, oncologist, and visits to a referral can be made to an oncologist, neurosurgeon and rehabilitator. Medi Package also provides unlimited consultations with primary care physicians, such as: Internist, Family Medicine Doctor and Pediatrician. It also includes 24-hour Telephone Medical Assistance, flu and tetanus vaccinations, 3 home visits a year in the Maximum package, a wide range of laboratory tests and outpatient procedures. Medi Package also gives access to X-ray, ultrasound, ECG and many more.
How much does health insurance cost?
As you already know, health insurance is divided into public insurance, i.e. compulsory and private – voluntary. Let’s take a closer look at the insurance offered by the National Health Fund. They are mainly due to persons employed on the basis of a contract of employment, but also to: pregnant women, pensioners, children and students, the unemployed, uniformed services, officers of the Government Protection Bureau, Border Guard, judges and prosecutors. In the case of persons with an employment contract, the employer is obliged to allocate part of their remuneration to health insurance. The amount that is taken from the employee’s salary is 9% of the monthly salary. In 2019, the lowest contribution for public health insurance was PLN 319.94 and was collected monthly from the gross payment. It is a big cost, taking into account the time you have to spend while waiting for an appointment with a NFZ specialist. For this reason, many Poles decide to purchase private health insurance. The cost of a standard health insurance package is not too high and amounts to several dozen zlotys. The individual variant of the Medi Package medical package can be purchased for PLN 45, while the most diverse family package is available for PLN 345.
What does the price of private health insurance depend on?
The price of private health insurance depends on the patient himself. Often, private health insurance companies make the cost of packages dependent on the age of their clients. Adults will pay the least, mainly aged 18–65, while premiums for children and the elderly will be higher. This is due to the increased use of services for both age groups. Another aspect is the health of the client. For people with a long medical history and the risk of developing new diseases it will be higher. The number of doctors available in the package also plays a role in determining the price of the insurance. Cheaper insurance will give you access to fewer specialists. The number of people we want to provide for medical care also affects the price of insurance. If we decide to take out individual medical insurance,
Private health insurance is usually paid monthly, while there is a discount for quarterly, semi-annual and annual payments.
Insurance period
A contract for private health insurance is usually concluded for one year, with the beginning of its term being stated in the insurance application. Often, however, insurers use the provision that the policy period is automatically extended by another year, if neither party terminates the contract.
