Recovery plan for state health insurer introduced

The Health Care Surveillance Authority has approved the recovery plan proposed by state-owned health insurer, Všeobecná zdravotná poistovňa. The insurer will implement savings totalling 115 million euro and receive a cash injection from the state of 150 million euro. If the Authority had not approved the plan, the state insurer, which has made a record loss, would have been forced into judicial administration. The general director of the insurer, Miroslav Kočan, expects to end the year with a loss of around 250 million euro. After implementing austerity measures such as cuts in spending on medicines, lower prices for special medical materials and reducing spending on CT and MRI scans, the deficit should be 180 million euro next year.