Panayiotis Rougalas
Predictions of a drop in private health insurance coverage following the implementation of the second phase of the General Health Plan were slow to emerge. Experts predicted an immediate drop in private health insurance after the second phase was implemented in June 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic appears to have delayed the - admittedly negative - developments for the industry. As K is aware, from approximately 275 thousand private health insurance policies, they have decreased by 20% to approximately 220 thousand, as citizens are now covered by GESY services and consider private health insurance services "luxury," if not unnecessary.
From 1 June 2020, the second and final phase of GESY's implementation included all other healthcare services, such as inpatient health care, health care by other health professionals (clinical dieticians, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, and clinical psychologists), nurses and midwives, A&E Departments, ambulance services, dentists, palliative health care, and medical rehabilitation.
There had been no significant decrease in private health insurance coverage prior to the first phase of GESY implementation, which envisaged the introduction of outpatient health care, i.e. the provision of health care services by personal and specialist doctors, pharmacists, and laboratories on 1 June 2019.
Contributions for the first phase began on March 1, 2019, and contributions for full GESY implementation began on March 1, 2020. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, contribution rates remained unchanged for three months, until March 2020.
[This article was translated from its Greek original]
