More than 2.4 million people have additional health insurance. The number of people insured increased by 20% over the year, according to data from the Polish Chamber of Insurance (PIU). This figure is likely to continue to grow and the coverage of policies will increase.

Employers want healthier workers

During the first three quarters, we spent PLN 586 million on additional health insurance. This is almost 19% more than one year ago. ‘According to data, the level of group insurance premium is growing slightly faster than the number of insured persons. This clearly shows that employers want to provide their employees with more access to medical benefits, and consequently the popularity of broader packages is increasing. This is due medical issues on one hand and the competition for workers on the other’, explained Dorota M. Fal, advisor to the Board of the Polish Chamber of Insurance. ‘Employers also seek to reduce the health-related absenteeism of their employees, which represents a real cost for companies. The Social Insurance Institution announced that in 2017, entrepreneurs spent PLN 6.3 billion of their own money to finance the first month of sick leave of their employees’, she added.

Almost two years of waiting

According to recent Public Opinion Research Centre data, 60% of Polish people have a negative opinion about the functioning of the National Health Fund. Well-educated people criticise it the most. According to a report prepared by the Watch Health Care Foundation, Warsaw Enterprise Institute and MAHTA, Poles have to wait on average for about 3 months to see a specialist and nearly 4 months to receive a single guaranteed benefit. This is 2 weeks longer than last year. The worst situation is for access to an endocrinologist, where the average waiting time is up to 23 months.