Slovenia

Background

Slovenia’s health reforms started with the passing of the Law on Health Care and Health Insurance in 1992, just one year after gaining independence. This legislation laid the basis for the current system of both compulsory and voluntary health insurance, and permitted the privatisation of healthcare. Following this, the Health Institute of Slovenia (HIIS) was created as the sole provider of compulsory health insurance in the country. HIIS tasks included providing compulsory insurance, contracting with healthcare providers, providing legal and professional assistance to the insured and proposing compulsory contribution rates.

Established in 1992, the HIIS is financed by two groups. The first consists of typical workers contributing an amount set annually by the HIIS – in 2002 the contribution was 13.45%, with employers contributing 7.09% and employees 6.36%. The second group, consisting of self-employed workers, pensioners and the unemployed, contributes a fixed amount that varies depending on the situation, with the government contributing on behalf of the unemployed.

Recent years

In 2000, Slovenia passed the national healthcare programme, ‘Health for all by 2004’, which focused on providing better quality of care as well as education on tobacco, alcohol and nutrition. Moreover, the reform sought to equalise quality and access to care by providing doctors with incentives to work in areas with healthcare shortages.

Current situation

The positive trend of Slovenia’s current system can be attributed to the focus, sustained throughout several governments, on improving the health status of its population despite the country’s socioeconomic troubles. Furthermore, recent reforms have emphasised long-term care and providing for the ageing population. Reforms have also increased wages for doctors as well as raised the funding allocated to mental health. However, the government continues to struggle to meet public expectations, lacking the vision and resources to meet them. Moreover, private healthcare funding is still estimated to be a fourth of total funding putting a huge financial strain on the lower class. In order for future reforms to be successful, the objective of reform as well as actions taken will need to be clearly identified in advance.

In May 2009, the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia, in partnership with IBM, announced it would launch new electronic health insurance cards, allowing healthcare providers to instantly and accurately check a patient’s healthcare status. It is hoped that the new system will help the government save money, operate more efficiently and improve quality of life for its citizens.

Slovenia statistics

WHO Health Statistics (current data)                                             * Data for 2005

¹ Probability of dying between 15 to 60 years per 1000 population

²  Per 1,000 live births

³ In Years

⁴ In Years

⁵ Purchasing Power Parity int. dollars

⁶ Purchasing Power Parity int. dollars

⁷ Percentage

⁸ Per woman