Do You Have to Pay For a Public Health Insurance in Slovakia on Your Own? Fees Are Getting Changed from 1.1.2019!

We wish you that you stay well in 2019 and never need any medical treatment!

Bad news is that your health conditions have nothing to do with your obligation to pay for a public health insurance in Slovakia if you have to do so.

Let´s start with some basics.

 

If you are employed, health insurance agenda is managed by your employer and you don´t need to do much, just inform your employer which Public Health Insurance Company are you registered in.

But in case you:

• run a small business based on a trade licence

• own a limited company in Slovakia (and you are not employed there or anywhere else)

• are self employed in any other way (expert, artist, interpreter etc)

• are voluntarily unemployed (sabbatical, career break etc)

you are obliged to pay for a public health insurance in Slovakia on your own.

 

Firstly you need to get registered in any of the following Public Health Insurance Companies:

• Vseobecna zdravotna poistovna

• Dovera

• Union

You  will get a plastic card which you will have to present at medical facility each time you will be in a need of a treatment (pls note that there are many private medical facilities in Slovakia, in which the treatment needs to be paid in full).

Upon registering, you will get also payment details from your health insurance company so that you can setup a payment schedule.

 

There is always a big discussion on „which public health insurance company in Slovakia is the best“.

Well, if we may suggest something:

Sign up to any public health insurance company at the beginning, then take your time and find yourself a medical doctor who speaks languages a little, resides in a fair distance from either your place or your work and who is available within reasonable opening hours (ask your fellow foreigners to share their experience and recommendation).

Then ask your medical doctor which insurance company does he/she  recommend and why.  He/she might tend to recommend the one he/she has a good cooperation with, which is always worth considering.

If you need to re-register and change your public insurance company, it can be done easily each year until 30 September. You simply submit an application for registering  in a new insurance company. Your new  insurance  will become valid on 1 January of the following year.

 

Once you are properly registered, you need to set up your payment schedule. Public health insurance is due on 8th of each month for previous month.

You will start paying minimum fees. The fee can get changed every year in January. We recommend that you setup a standing payment order with your bank and mark 8 January of following year as the last day of payment series. You will review the new rules  during January  next year then and set up a new payment calendar starting  from February onwards.

 

The minimum fee for public health insurance for 2019 will be 66,78€

(there is an exception for handicapped people, who need to pay 33,39€).

First payment  for January 2019 is due on 8 February 2019.

 

All the above applies  if you have a valid residence permit in Slovakia.

If you are in a need of a health insurance to support your residence permit procedure, this is a different topic, which we will cover in some of our next blogposts.

 

 

If you need any assistance, get in touch, we are happy to help.