Afternoon surgery involving insurance companies – packages reduced by 50%

Evening surgery is now a fact and plans it to be more accessible to patients. In the Ministry’s design it is the insurance companies’ “packages” for afternoons in the NSS to be 50% cheaper. One after another, during the last week the clinics of the major hospitals of the NSS are launching the afternoon operation of their surgeries, while the Ministry of Health is preparing the next steps in the operation of the institution. In addition to the free coverage from the Recovery Fund of the 50 thousand unserviced interventions, the Ministry of Health also initiates the involvement of insurance companies in afternoon surgeries. Health Minister, Adonis Georgiadis, held a meeting last week with the Insurance Companies Association, with a view to establishing a memorandum of cooperation with the National Health System. The companies – at least the largest of them – reportedly showed great interest in participating, and a working party was set up for this purpose, which is working on the memorandum of cooperation that both sides will sign in the coming period. In fact, as the Minister for Health himself has admitted, the training of the six categories of citizen charge for afternoon surgeries (depending on their gravity) has used the relative coding of insurance companies, but at prices adjusted accordingly by the Ministry of Health which are from 1/3 to 1/5 lower than those of the private hospital. Ministry of Health: Insurance packages reduced by 50% The Ministry of Health’s design for the involvement of insurance companies – if it is finally implemented – is expected to cause the interest and attract several citizens to the solution of private insurance, as the most “interesting solution” for immediate service with simultaneous cost coverage by private insurance companies. Companies have already begun to process new insurance packages, especially adapted to the prices of afternoon surgeries. The new health programmes covering expenditure are expected to be more cost-effective than those covering until now the expenditure of interventions in private clinics, the Minister of Health noted. “The insurance company’s program for NSY afternoon surgeries will be – apparently – a health program much cheaper than it is now. Now you pay an amount of H. It seems that a corresponding amount to cover the afternoon surgeries of the NSS will be below 50%,” said Health Minister, Adonis Georgiadis. It is not even excluded, as the information on iatropedia.gr says, in the future, that surgical clinics and “positions” beds should be renovated for patients who will be operated on the NSS with cover for their private safety. It is worth noting that the cost of afternoon surgeries in public hospitals is borne by the patient. The interventions are divided into 6 categories, based on their gravity and complexity (very small, small, medium, large, heavy and also extremely heavy), and costing between 300 and 2,000 euros. If there is coverage by insurance companies, the cost of surgery will be even lower, as the Ministry of Health argues. Hospital doctors react. Workers in the NIS react to the overall institution of afternoon surgeries and talk about “health marketing”. Doctors working in the NIS, Athens and Piraeus (EIPAP), in fact, invite their colleagues not to register for afternoon surgery. In its communication the IAP notes that the government “takes off the policy of commercialization and privatisation of health. Instead of hiring all the necessary permanent staff to operate the closed operating rooms (all over Attica is running 130 out of 200) and that all patients can be operated on time, without being forced to pay again, it imposes a legal state envelope on afternoon paid surgeries.” The Federation of Doctors of the NIS (OENGE) comments for its part that the Minister of Health should not speak of “win,” regarding the operation of afternoon surgeries. “The minister must explain to us who he is defeating. Defeats the people who pay insurance contributions and taxes?” OENGE notes. “Evening Surgery: The cost is paid by private security” Adonis Georgiades himself, in response to the above criticisms of “the forthcoming privatisation of the NSS” pointed out that the involvement of insurance companies means that patients will not pay afternoon surgeries directly from their pocket “Insured insurance means that some people will be able to make use of the services of the ESA without paying out of their pocket, but pay through private security. Why is that bad for the NSA? Can you tell me a reasonable argument why this is bad for the NSA? Our ideology is in favour of PPPs, public and private partnerships. Isn’t that what the New Republic always says? Have we said about the private sector that we consider it “infected”? That he shouldn’t join the public? Nope. If people wanted such a thing, they would vote ADARSYA, they would not vote New Democracy” he concluded. Professor of Medicine EKPA and the chief study editor at “DIANEOsis”, Giannis Tunas, recently mentioned in an interview at iatropedia.gr , how in paid surgeries – whose necessity he accepts, as he says – are of great importance to patients and hotel infrastructure, since they pay for these services. For this reason, as he points out, there should be public auxiliary and supplementary health insurance, so that patients are not overly burdened and hospitals increase their income to improve their infrastructure. “We in the studies we have done with the “NEOSIS” for the new ESA, say this: That there must be auxiliary and supplementary health insurance so that when the private citizen goes to the public system and needs to pay – whether his afternoon practice, or surgery etc – instead of putting his hand in the pocket being covered by the auxiliary or supplementary insurance. If there is this possibility that to date has not been developed in our country, i.e. the institution of public auxiliary and supplementary insurance covering such revenue, I think it will help a lot,” concludes the Professor. By Gianna Soulaki / Source: iatropedia.gr