Every Ukrainian strives to receive timely and quality medical services that do not hit their family budget. Unfortunately, nowadays, illness is a financial stress for most people. The country has been undergoing medical reform for several years, and the government is trying to solve painful issues. How can we protect our family's health in such a situation?
Many people are talking about insurance, which is common in the USA and Europe. However, there are different insurance practices, and it's easy to get confused. When someone talks about health insurance, they don't always understand exactly what it is. Let's figure it out: is health insurance and life insurance the same thing?
In fact, these are different insurance practices. World experience in this area shows the high efficiency of different models and systems. For example, in England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Denmark, the state financing system dominates. In Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Japan, there is a mandatory medical insurance system. At the same time, the USA has a mixed form of medical financing, and about 90% of Americans use the services of private insurance companies.
Let's return to Ukraine and the ways in which we can take care of our health and the health of our loved ones here and now.
NSZU stands for National Health Service of Ukraine.
In general, when it comes to providing medical care, there is a certain list of mandatory manipulations, types of treatment, and laboratory and instrumental examination methods that are covered by the state under the "Medical Guarantee" program. This is the scope of the National Health Service of Ukraine. These are the services that state hospitals must provide for free. However, in practice, things may be different.
Voluntary health insurance
As for voluntary health insurance, today in Ukraine, all the burden falls not on the state, but on the employer. Voluntary health insurance is actively developed only in corporate practice as part of an employee's social package. In this case, all medical expenses are covered. If a person experiences a medical issue, they must contact the medical institution with which their insurance company cooperates. This practice only protects against medical expenses. If a person pays for something themselves and has official receipts, they can contact their insurance company and receive compensation. This way, the patient does not spend money but also does not receive additional funds.
Life and Health Insurance
Such a practice protects the financial component of the family budget. This is because any period of disability of an adult or a child requires care, not just medical expenses: work absences, one of the parents being forced to take sick leave, and so on. These are significant losses for the family. Life and health insurance works as follows: if something happens to a person's health due to illness or accident, the insurance company pays a certain fixed insurance amount or a percentage of the insurance amount. There are different payment algorithms. Insurance may cover not only hospitalization but also surgical intervention separately. It may address not only medical expenses but also rehabilitation and adaptation to new living conditions. There are programs that allow for treatment not only in Ukrainian clinics but also abroad. Thus, life and health insurance is financial assistance to the insured person's family in case of an insurance event.
To sum up, voluntary medical insurance allows the protection of a person only from medical expenses. At the same time, the financial safety net, guaranteed by health and life insurance, will not be created, and the person will not receive any money. Therefore, the difference is significant.
