EUR 700-800 million - the potential of the Romanian health insurance market
Private health insurance market in Romania has a potential of EUR 700-800 million for insurers and, obviously, considerable benefits for customers, appreciates Theodor ALEXANDRESCU, General Manager, ALICO Romania. According to him, the causes which hinder the development of this market are: lack of therapeutic guidelines (of stipulated procedures), non-existent tax incentives and the fact that private medical services are reduced, so basically there is no competition.
Also, at this moment, there are 3,002 diseases recognized according to the international nomenclature, which (only) theoretically are 100% covered by the National Health Insurance House (CNAS). In fact, CNAS covers a percentage of only 30-40% of them, according to a study of the World Bank. Also, "only in the previous year, informal payments in the Romanian healthcare system amounted to over EUR 360 million, to which the negative quality of the services is added", said the quoted official.
Therefore, "the state system is not sustainable, and the alternative is to undertake a reform of the medical system, by introducing new elements (complementary insurance, additional insurance and co-payment) and a redirection of the contributions as follows: the minimum package administered by the state (CNAS) - 25%, complementary insurance (minimum package privately administered) - 19%, additional insurance (voluntary contributions) - 38% and co-payment - 18%".
In his opinion, "health has remained the one need that has not benefited from a structural change, compared to households, pensions and motor segment, managed only by the state some time ago", notes Theodor ALEXANDRESCU.
Also, the health insurance system reform has to define the therapeutical guidelines, the introduction of the co-payment, to define the mandatory minimum package administered by the state, the minumum complementary one and the existence of tax deductibility, concluded the General Manager of ALICO Romania.
Author: Oleg DORONCEANU
on 25.02.2010
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