Prague, Aug 5 (CTK) – The Czech health insurance system ended up in black numbers last year with revenues of 241.2 billion crowns and expenditures of 239 billion thanks to higher state payments, the zdravotnickydenik.cz reported yesterday.
It refers to a report on the health insurance companies’ financial management prepared for a government meeting by the finance and health ministries.
The state sent the highest sum in history to the health insurance system – 59.9 billion crowns, which means 6.2 billion more than in 2013.
Total revenues of the system increased by 5.6 percent year-on -year, while 178.6 billion were collected in insurance payments, which is 3.8 percent more than in 2013.
The state paid 59.9 billion crowns for its insured, children, students, pensioners and the unemployed, which made up 24.8 percent of the revenues.
After the rise in the calculation base in November 2013 and in the latter half of last year, the state payments rose by 6.2 billion.
Advance payments of 4.8 billion crowns also increased the cash-flow of the health insurers at the beginning of 2014. Other revenues of two billion crowns came from fees, penalties, interest and foreign insurers that paid 700 million.
Revenues per client were 23,167 crowns on average. The General Health Insurance Company (VZP) had the highest revenues per capita of 24,989 crowns with a 5.6 percent year-on-year rise.
A crushing majority of expenditures went to health-care services (231.9 billion crowns or 97 percent). However, the health insurers’ operational costs dropped to 5.3 billion.
Three health insurance companies ended up in red numbers.
The health insurers had debts of 36.6 billion and claims of 33.5 billion crowns at the end of last year.
All health insurers had 15 billion crowns in their accounts at the end of 2014 and they registered 10.4 million clients over 75 percent of whom were insured in the VZP.
The government should deal with the report after its holiday that ends on August 16. Then it should submit a proposal for the approval of the annual reports and final accounts of the VZP and six other health employers’ and sectors’ health insurance companies to the Chamber of Deputies.
($1=24.649 crowns)
