An increasing interest in the private medical care in Poland is becoming more and more visible. The number of medical policy holders amounted to 1.2 million in 2014, compared to 850 thousand the year before. The clients paid for the medical insurance PLN 400.9 million, i.e. 19% more than in 2013. The most popular are still group insurance packages, however, there has been a significant increase in the number of individual clients.
Last year was noted one of the greatest increases, in comparison with the previous years, in the number of individuals who bought medical policies. 1.2 million people held a private insurance, which means a 42% increase. The gross written premium increased by 19% in 2014 and amounted to PLN 400.9 million – The public system of medical care is inefficient, hence there is a growing interest in the private medical care, both on the part of the clients and insurance companies –says Mr. Jan Grzegorz Prądzyński, President of the Polish Insurance Association.
There are more and more offers in the market which vary with regards to the scope of their insurance coverage. The performance results for 2014 indicate that Poles are more frequently inclined to buy an individual insurance policy with medical coverage, provided its price is tailored to their budget, and at the same time its scope meets their needs. Last year was noted an increase over 10% in the value of the premium in the group of individual medical insurances. On the other hand, the number of persons who decided to buy an individual insurance amounted to the record 173.7 thousand, i.e. almost five times more than the year before.
– We experienced the comfort offered by private medical insurance and we appreciated its value. Hence, there is an increase in the number of individual clients. Due to a greater interest in them, there are also more offers from insurance companies. The array of offers allows the less wealthy clients to be able to afford a policy, too
–says Mrs. Dorota M. Fal, Health Insurance Consultant to the Management Board of Polish Insurance Association. – It is still only a small step towards serious changes in this area. Without new legislative solutions, which allow people a broad access to the medical insurance, the potential of the market will remain limited –she adds.
When analysing the performance results of the market, a continuous good standing of the group medical insurance sector can be observed, i.e. those acquired most frequently by employers for employees. The number of persons who had such insurance increased by 27%, amounting to 1.03 million in 2014. The premium increased by 21%, reaching PLN 332 million.
