Changes to Health Insurance in Slovenia
18.1.2024 |
How Slovenian health insurance used to work
On 1 January 2024, the long-awaited change to the way people in Slovenia pay for health insurance came into effect. Until now, there was mandatory health insurance, paid through salary for employed persons, the self-employed person’s contribution and coverage by the state for qualifying pensioners. In addition to that, there was a monthly optional supplementary insurance, usually referred to as the “top-up”, bought through a commercial insurer.
From this January, the top-up is no longer optional. Originally, those campaigning to make the top-up mandatory had envisaged it becoming incorporated into the mandatory insurance. However, despite no longer being optional, it is still paid separately, although most people will not notice.
How will the top-up will be paid from 2024?
Slovenian pensioners will see their state pension decrease by €35/month to cover the supplementary contribution. Pensioners whose healthcare is covered another country will no longer pay the top-up. Employed persons will have their contribution taken at source. The monthly contribution self-employed people will pay will also increase by €35. Dependents whose mandatory health insurance is covered by a family member’s contributions (for example when one person is self-employed and “employs” their spouse through “kratkotrajno delo”) will receive a monthly bill from the Tax Administration. They will have the option to pay by monthly direct debit, through their eDavki account, or using a pre-printed UPN. The same applies for people who previously paid privately for both elements.
Why has the system been changed?
The government believes that taking the charge “in-house” will increase the amount available to the healthcare system. The commercial healthcare insurers had been seeking to substantially increase the monthly premium. The supplementary charge will for now remain at €35/month.
Do I need to cancel my policy with the commercial insurer?
If you have been paying for supplementary insurance through a commercial insurer (Generali, Vzajemna, Triglav), you do not need to take any action. The insurance companies stopped taking payments in December.
What about the future?
There will be no change to the amount of the charge in 2024. In the future, it will be based on the previous year’s average gross salary.
