Government Postpones Debate on Boosting VsZP's Capital by €300 mn

Bratislava, October 1 (TASR) - The Cabinet at its session on Wednesday (September 30) postponed a debate on a Health Ministry proposal to boost the capital of state-run health insurer Vseobecna zdravotna poistovna (VsZP) by €300 million. Finance Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) said that this is a serious issue and that the Cabinet wants to complete the debate on it in a calm atmosphere. "We discussed this issue, a really demanding and important one. The health-care sector is of absolute key importance. We can see what's going on in connection with the coronavirus outbreak, so we've postponed this point," said Heger. The minister stressed the need to realise that VsZP is the only health-care insurance company whose sole shareholder is the state. "We must take care of it," he said, adding the Slovakia is experiencing a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak and it's important for the insurer to have sufficient funding. Prime Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) said that the proposal is yet to be discussed by the Coalition Council. "The Health Ministry's requirement to boost funding of our state-run health insurer is absolutely legitimate. It has a shortfall in revenues, and its expenditures are significantly higher in connection with COVID-19," he said. Private health-care insurers have criticised the state's plan to provide additional finances to VSzP, viewing it as incorrect and unfair. Institute for Economic and Social Reforms (INEKO) analyst Dusan Zachar views the proposal to increase VsZP's share capital by €300 million as inappropriate state interference in the functioning of Slovakia's pluralist public health-care insurance system. ko/df