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stephenbranigan · Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 15 Location: Poland

Does anyone have any advice on private health insurance in Poland. I've been here for three years and am planning on staying here for the medium to long term. I'm currently working on a contract that provides no healthcare provisions. As a non national I pay tax but not social contributions and therefore I am not entitled to any national healthcare. I've basically had no health insurance since I came here although I did have a private policy for a time which I found wasn't much use. It provided basics like doctors and minor operations etc., but not long term hospital stay. I'm thinking in terms of a comprehensive policy that covers everything. I understand that I can voluntarily contribute to the national health system but it is costly and the health service is not that great here anyway. I need to do something soon because I drive a lot and I'm expecting I may die in the near future on these Polish roads, then again if that happens I won't need health cover Smile

Any advice? What have you done? What does it cost etc.?

phantombedwetter · Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:35 am Post subject:

Hi Stephen,
Interesting and complicated question, one which I would be interested to hear suggestions myself.

I pay full national health contributions and get the 'Luxury' of the Polish health care system. I've never used it.
The one occasion I had a health issue (Twisting my knee on a run, in the snow Rolling Eyes

) I paid for private treatment.

The problem is, even if you pay for private care, if something major happens to you they still throw you in a state run ward with the bumpkins and meths drinkers.

My wife has one of the best private health policies through her company, and she believes it's a bit of a waste of money.

So to sum up, state health care with the occasional trip to a private doctor for consultations.
Hope this helps.

Richfilth · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 225 Location: Warszawa

Hi Stephen,

For a start, it's a requirement by law to have valid medical insurance in Poland, and although it's your employers obligation to provide you with one when they employ you (on most contracts, anway) you're the criminal if it doesn't get sorted.

When I found this out three years ago, ZUS at first called me a criminal and threatened to have me escorted from the building, then in a later phone call asked for 4000zl to open an account (which then demands about 800zl a month for all the Polish social security stuff like pension and disability contributions.)

The easier solution would be to have a chat with an insurer like Hestia, or go straight to a private medical insurer like LuxMed or Medicover, or even Falck (the Group 4 medical arm.) My polisy, which is something like the SooperDeluxe SpareOrganOnDemand package, costs 127zl a month, although things like dental are understandable extras.

And phantom, I have enough blank space looking at my students' faces all day, without the extra you're providing with the size of that picture of yours!

Gowump · Joined: 05 May 2004 Posts: 70 Location: Poland

Hey Stephen.

I'm in a position where my school doesn't pay for my insurance, but they have set it up through ZUS so that I pay. It runs me about 275PLN a month. That's full coverage. So perhaps talk to your employer and hopefully you can work something out.

phantombedwetter · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 1:39 pm Post subject:

Oh... one more thing...

ZUS starts at 250 zeds a month for a new business.
This lasts for 2 years only then increases to the full whack of around 800 depending on your earnings.

sparks · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 632

Hey Phantom,

Do you know anything about dividing up your ZUS payments into private investment accounts? I heard a year or so ago that many people were investing on their own instead of paying ZUS since it's suppposed to collapse sometime in the future. Is this possible with private companies? I only employ myself so it seems a bit unfair to have to pay 700-800 a month for nothing.

dynow · Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 1080

I'm right there with you on that one, Sparks. I am looking for something along those lines as well, considering I would never go to a public doctor and CERTAINLY not a public dentist in Poland.

I only got a few more months left on my 290 PLN per month honeymoon, and it would be a total crime if I had to dump that much money every month into a service which I will never use. could a foreigner working from their own business just arrange a private insurance plan?

phantombedwetter · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:16 pm Post subject:

Sparks and Dynow,
I've just arranged for a chunk of my ZUS to be paid into a Commercial Union policy (I had some greasy salesman round to the school trying to get me to open loads more policies with him).
My wife arranged this for me, so I'll ask her for more details.

I don't think there's any chance of ZUS collapsing, but I'm not really sure you get value for money.

stephenbranigan · Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 15 Location: Poland

Thanks for all that info. I think that I'll probably go the private cover route.

Nauczyciel · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 3:34 pm Post subject:

When your two-year period of reduced ZUS payment finishes, my advice is to discontinue this insurance (unless you need it to secure your pension when you retire) and take up the voluntary health insurance with the NFZ. It's worth remembering that most private clinics accept NFZ insurance, so you won't really be limited to public institutions only.