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Health has no price for Poles. Not being able to count on the National Health Fund, they use private medical care even when they have to get into debt. Today, innovative online platforms connecting patients with private offices help in deciding on the choice of a specialist and crediting the service. We checked what they offer.
46,1 percent Poles currently benefit from private medical care, according to a report prepared by the Institute for Research on Social Change. Half of people between the ages of 30 and 40 receive private treatment. 13 percent respondents who do not yet use the services of doctors privately, intend to do so soon. The value of the private medical care market in 2021 is expected to amount to almost PLN 61 billion, and it will be PLN 2 billion more than in 2019, the PMR company estimates.
Why do Poles choose private medical care?
In practice, the possibility of using the services of the National Health Fund is a fiction. In fact, the offer of services and research financed by the National Health Fund is limited, as are the options for choosing a place or a doctor. The worst, however, are the long waiting times for services that should be performed as soon as possible or are important from the patient’s point of view. Therefore, regardless of the costs, Poles take advantage of the wide range of services offered by private offices and clinics. This is supported by realistic deadlines, the possibility of choosing a facility equipped with the appropriate equipment, as well as the choice of a doctor and checking the opinion about his work, which is shared by patients.
What treatments can Poles finance using medical loans?
There are practically no restrictions here. Clinics and offices offer both simple and advanced services in the field of dentistry, ophthalmology, aesthetic medicine, gynecology and cardiology. Companies also support patients in surgical, ENT, bariatric and urological services. They finance diagnostic, endoscopic, laboratory and prenatal tests, DNA tests and trips to a sanatorium. Also expenses for medical and rehabilitation equipment. You can also pay for veterinary services in installments.
How to privately finance treatment in Poland?
Along with the growth and expectations of the market, there are more and more companies offering patients financing of loan treatments. The procedure for obtaining a loan does not differ much from the standard, known for buying products in installments, but has its own specificity. Companies are trying to simplify the formal path of applying for money as much as possible. And most importantly, in the case of medical loans, the money does not go to the applicant’s bank account, but directly to the surgery or clinic. Therefore, when submitting a loan application, the patient chooses the place where the treatment will be performed.
We took a closer look at the offer of the three largest players on the market.
Credomedica is a company with 25 years of experience in the financial industry, offering installment financing for medical services, beauty and cosmetic treatments and the purchase of equipment. It provides loans from PLN 300. Decision on a loan of up to PLN 15,5 thousand PLN is granted without income certificates. Credomedica offers the possibility of spreading the loan over a period of 6 to 60 monthly installments. In the case of a loan between 66 thousand and 200 thousand PLN, the repayment period is extended to 144 months. After submitting the application for a loan amount from PLN 600 to PLN 66 thousand The credit decision is made immediately.
Kliniki.pl is a platform connecting patients with private clinics, medical and cosmetic offices and rehabilitation centers. This is called a marketplace that aggregates and presents offers from 1 thousand. clinics. It is to clinics what Booking.com is to hotels and apartment rentals. Each of the cooperating institutions has an extensive business card with a description, photos, a list of treatments performed with a price list and information about the medical staff. As the only one in Poland, it offers the so-called Kliniki.pl Rating Index. It is a constantly updated clinic evaluation system presenting an average rating based on data from comments on Kliniki.pl, Google, Facebook and ZnanyLekarz.pl.
Loan amount up to 5 it is granted on a declaration, without income documents. The credit decision is made in 15 minutes. Loan amounts between PLN 100 and PLN 5 PLN can be divided into 4, 8, 12 installments and use the loan after the visit. Loan for amounts up to 50 thousand. is granted after telephone qualification with confirmation of creditworthiness. It can be spread over 36 installments.
Mediraty.pl have been operating since 2010 and cooperate with 8 branches in Poland. Like Kliniki.pl, they offer the possibility of searching for a specific treatment and place. We will receive contact details, a map and a link to the website for cooperating offices and clinics. From loans in the amount from PLN 100 to PLN 5 PLN can be used after the procedure in some facilities. Amounts from PLN 500 to PLN 50 thousand PLN are granted after telephone qualification with confirmation of creditworthiness, which, according to the declaration, takes about 4 minutes. For some treatments, it is possible to obtain a 0% loan, provided that the loan is repaid within 30 days.
In addition to the companies mentioned above, we checked the conditions offered for loans by Bancovo and Vivus. Bancovo is a platform that intermediates in loans and cash loans for any purpose, with offers from banks and loan companies. Vivus is a loan platform operating since 2012 in the amount from PLN 100 to PLN 7,5 thousand. PLN via the Internet without earnings certificates. On its website, it offers loans for treatment, procedures, operations, and medical services.
How much does a loan of PLN 5000 cost?
Companies allow you to calculate the approximate amount of installments using the calculators on the website and quickly check your creditworthiness by filling out an online form or ordering an interview with a consultant.
We compared medical loan offers. We used medical services for approx. PLN 5 as a reference point. zloty. These include, among others inguinal hernia surgery, vaginoplasty, gallbladder surgery, thyroid removal surgery, knee arthroscopy or leg varicose surgery.
Bancovo
For a loan of PLN 5 PLN, the minimum installment period is 25 months (a smaller number of installments is available for lower amounts). This means that with a treatment worth 5 the installment is PLN 245, and the total cost of the loan is PLN 6. The APRC in this case is 125 percent.
Credomedica
If the treatment amount is worth 5 PLN will be spread over 12 months, the installment will be 461,67 PLN. This means the total cost of the loan in the amount of PLN 5 540,04. When using the available calculator, we do not receive information about the APRC.
Kliniki.pl
The platform cooperates in the field of financing treatments with ComperiaRaty. Loan for the amount of 5 thousand. (and also higher) has an interest rate of 0 percent. provided that it is repaid in 10 installments. The APRC is therefore 0 percent. and we do not incur any additional costs due to the extended repayment of the procedure.
Medirates
With a loan of 5 PLN drawn in 12 installments, the monthly installment is PLN 466,68.
This means that the total cost of the loan will be PLN 600,16, and the total amount to be repaid will be PLN 5. The APRC in this case is 600,16 percent.
Alive
In this case, the first loan up to a maximum of PLN 3. the interest rate is 0%, but it must be repaid within 61 days. Assuming that the amount borrowed is 5 is another loan, the customer has 31 days to pay it back. The total loan amount will be PLN 6000, and the APRC in this case is 819,12 percent.
Theoretically, you can also look for a loan offer for the procedure in a bank, but they are not very willing to finance them – they also do not have contracts with many clinics. Often it is just an ordinary cash loan.