Health policies are on the rise along with queues for doctors
The Poles are still facing long queues to see National Health Fund specialists. We have to wait the longest for an appointment with an endocrinologist, with an average of around 14 months, an ophthalmologist, with an average of over 9 months, and an allergist, with an average of around 7 months. The growing queues are a consequence of years of underfunding of public health care and the health debt generated by the pandemic. For this reason, an increasing number of Poles are looking for solutions to ensure that they receive faster care from specialist doctors.
Public health care has been struggling with an ever-increasing health debt for years. The problem has been exacerbated by the pandemic, when patients had limited access to diagnostic tests, follow-up appointments and other important medical procedures. The proportion of screening and preventive tests then decreased markedly. As a result, the rate of diagnosed malignant tumors fell by about 20 per cent compared to previous years.[1]
The problem pertains to the whole country, but it has a different specificity in each province. It all depends on the number of available medical facilities and specialists working in a given area. In Lower Silesia, for example, endocrinologists are most in short supply; the average waiting time for an appointment is 2 years and 8 months[2]. In the Opole Province, you have to wait more than 2 years and 6 months for an appointment with the same specialist. Private medical care is doing much better in this respect.
- The average turnaround time for an appointment with an endocrinologist in Lower Silesia for those insured with TU Zdrowie is 20 days. In the Opole Province, it is only 9 days; in both cases, these appointments could be made within 5 to 7 days, as is guaranteed by our health insurance. However, at this point, please note that the average turnaround time at TU Zdrowie is the waiting time taking into account the Insured’s preferences, and scheduled and follow-up appointments made well in advance. The Insureds are free to choose an appointment time to fit into their calendar, and not the other way around - says Teresa Domańska, Director of TU Zdrowie’s Health Insurance Office.
The prolonged wait to see a specialist has a direct impact on the patient’s health. Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in Poland. Meanwhile, in order to see a National Health Fund cardiologist, you have to wait more than three months at best. The average for the whole country is 6 months, while patients in the Opole Province must wait in queues of more than a year and 2 months.[3]
-For this reason, customers are looking ever more favorably at health insurance. In the contracts we sign, access to internists, pediatricians and family doctors is provided within one day and access to the most sought-after specialists is provided in up to three days. The exceptions are a few rare specialties, where waiting times may be up to seven days. Meanwhile, the National Health Fund patients wait for the same services for a few weeks to even tens of months - says Dariusz Grądziel, TU Zdrowie’s Sales Director.
If the deadlines stipulated in the contract with TU Zdrowie are not met, the insurer is obliged to reimburse 100% of the costs incurred by the insured. Importantly, the accessibility standards also define the maximum distance of the place where the patient will be admitted for consultation. The patient also specifies a convenient date or time slot for the appointment.
- In addition, the TU Zdrowie health insurance contract provides reimbursement of the cost of a consultation with any doctor as standard. The amount of the benefit depends on the terms and conditions of the contract and can be up to 100% of the value of the services provided. This means that the insured can decide for themselves which doctor and at which facility they will be treated. To obtain reimbursement, all you need to do is fill in an electronic application and, via the website or app, attach a scan or photo of the bill. TU Zdrowie will then make the reimbursement, the payment of the benefit is made within a few days - says Teresa Domańska, Director of TU Zdrowie’s Health Insurance Office.
Data from the Polish Insurance Association for the end of 2021 shows that Poles spent more than PLN 1 billion on private health insurance. This is an almost 15% increase year-on-year. The PIA reports that more than 3.8 million Poles had health policies in that period, a 17% increase year-on-year[4].
[1] https://medtechpolska.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021_07_14_NIO_Raport-Wplyw-pandemii-COVID-19-na-system-opieki-onkologicznej.pdf
[2] https://swiatprzychodni.pl/specjalnosci/endokrynolog/
[3] https://swiatprzychodni.pl/specjalnosci/kardiolog/
[4] https://piu.org.pl/polacy-wydali-1-mld-zl-na-ubezpieczenia-zdrowotne-w-2021-r/
