5 features of health insurance in Poland

This country has a fully regulated health insurance system for both citizens and visitors. If you are considering Poland as a country of residence or intend to spend your vacation there, we recommend you to get acquainted with the health insurance system, so that you don't get into trouble with paying for medical services. Read on for everything you need to know about health insurance before traveling to our nearest neighbors.

Health insurance rules

The National Health Fund NFZ is the body responsible for health insurance in Poland at the state level. The policy covers the cost of a doctor's visit, treatment and stay in a public hospital, as well as the cost of certain medications. At the same time, you have to pay for pregnancy and childbirth yourself, regardless of whether you have insurance.

There are 3 types of health insurance in Poland:

1. Compulsory - this is the same as the state insurance, the premiums for which are automatically charged.
2. Voluntary - refers to the part of the state insurance, which is registered with the NFZ, but deductions are made under a voluntary contract.
3. Private insurance, which is handled by private insurance companies.

According to the country's legislation, you are entitled to medical services if you have a compulsory or a voluntary health insurance and are a citizen of a member state of the European Union or the European Free Trade Association.

If you do not have a citizenship in these countries, you must have a work visa; a temporary residence permit; a permanent residence permit; or a residence permit for a long-term resident of the EU to receive health care services. If you have a refugee status or a residence permit for humanitarian reasons, you can also use medical services. Polish, EU and EFTA citizens with pension insurance, disability insurance and farmers' social insurance are also entitled to free healthcare.

• Compulsory health insurance

Compulsory health insurance is written off automatically and does not depend on your wish if you belong to the following categories:

- foreigners and members of his/her family with an official job;

- unemployed persons with formalized benefits;

- newcomers with refugee status;

- prisoners and clergymen;

- military personnel and those undergoing military training;

- Deputies, senators, judges, prosecutors or people's assessors;

- students;

- other EU citizens.

A compulsory health insurance is charged as a percentage of official earnings. Beneficiaries pay a specific amount per month. It is the employers who are obliged to transfer money to ZUS every month. For the privileged category of people are paid by government agencies, calculating a certain amount from benefits.

• Voluntary insurance: optimal for students and those who work unofficially

If you do not have compulsory health insurance, but you live in Poland, you can get insurance voluntarily. To do this, you need to submit a written application to the National Health Fund NFZ. Based on this application, the National Health Fund will conclude a contract with you. The voluntary health insurance is valid from the date specified in the contract until the date of its termination. The insurance will expire if you do not pay the premium, which must be paid within one month. This type of health insurance is mainly used by students and those who are not officially employed. They apply for it and pay for it on their own. The cost of voluntary insurance depends on the field of activity, students pay about 50 PLN per month.

How to insure your family members?

One of the main bonuses of public insurance is that you can include your family members in the policy. Your family members can receive the same medical services as you, and for free. This covers:

• your children;
• your stepchild;
• a grandchild;
• a foreign child for whom you are the legal guardian;
• a child from another country for whom you are a foster family or who is living in your household;
• your husband or wife;
• ascending relatives (parents and grandparents) who live in the same home with you.

A child can be insured as a family member up to the age of 18. For students in school, university or doctoral studies, the law is valid until the age of 26. Children with disabilities are eligible for health insurance with their parents without age restrictions.

To enroll a family member for a health insurance, you must inform your premium payer of all family members who need to enroll within 7 days. This can also be done on your own by submitting an application form ZUS ZCNA.

Basis for calculating health insurance premiums

The basis for calculating health insurance contributions, i.e. the amount from which the contribution for this policy is calculated, is the employees' pension fund and disability insurance. Before calculating the health insurance contribution, the assessment base is reduced by the amounts of the pension fund and disability insurance contributions.

With respect to business activities, the assessment base is determined according to the form of taxation.

If the taxpayer uses the tax scale or pays tax from business activities by the linear method, the basis for calculating the contribution is the income for the previous month. If he uses a tax card, the basis is the minimum wage. For other entrepreneurs, the basis for calculating the contribution is the amount of the average salary for the fourth quarter, including payments from profits.

Clergymen, students of theological seminaries and novices have their own rules:

If a clergyman pays income tax or a flat tax on clergy income, the basis for calculating his health insurance contributions is his pension and disability insurance contributions. If the clergy member is not a personal income tax or single clergy income tax payer, the basis for calculating his health insurance contribution is the amount that corresponds to the amount of the special care benefit.

Amount of premium and financing of health insurance

In Poland, the monthly health insurance contribution is 9% of income. The general principle of financing health insurance premiums is that the insured person/entrepreneur contributes from his/her own funds, which is 9% of his/her income.

For those who receive unemployment benefit, the health insurance contribution is calculated, collected from the same benefit and paid by the district labor office.

For the unemployed who do not receive benefits, the health insurance is paid for by the labor office. The health insurance of parents who are on parental leave is paid by the employer from the state budget.

Health insurance is an integral part of the health care system in Poland, as well as in the rest of Europe. The experience of Europeans shows that insurance allows you to receive medical care conveniently, safely and without excessive costs even in the most extreme situations. Monthly premiums are calculated in such a way that they can be afforded by every resident of the country, regardless of the type of activity and income. Although there is a compulsory form of insurance, which primarily concerns employers, it is always possible to choose temporary voluntary insurance or a policy with private companies.