Medical subscriptions – how much does it cost and when does it pay off?

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Public health care often fails to satisfy patients. The waiting time for specialists discourages visits, and the queues at the clinics are long. For these reasons, more and more patients are opting for private health insurance, which makes it much easier to get medical help. Does such a solution actually pay off?

How does the health subscription work?

In Poland, citizens can benefit from free medical care under the National Health Fund. Unfortunately, sometimes the use of these services is highly unsatisfactory, because consultations with specialists are difficult to obtain, services are often of poor quality, and the waiting time is too long. Therefore, many patients decide to subscribe to a medical subscription.

The purchase of a medical subscription means that the patient undertakes to regularly pay monthly premiums for services under the medical package. It should be remembered that such insurance can be purchased individually or you can join the employee insurance, which is now standard in many companies.

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What to look for when choosing a medical package?

Today, the offer of medical subscriptions is very wide. Such services are provided by many medical networks that have a large selection of different packages, thanks to which the patient can easily adjust the package to his needs and financial possibilities. When choosing a medical subscription, you should pay attention to several important factors:

1. scope of services – before signing a contract with a medical network, it is worth carefully checking the scope of medical services provided by a given company. It is necessary to check the number and type of medical consultations in a given package. It is also worth paying attention to free diagnostic tests and medical treatments. If the service is not included in the package, you have to pay extra for it;
2. availability – it is worth paying attention to the availability of certain services. Basic packages usually include consultations with specific specialists, such as an internist, pediatrician, family doctor or gynecologist. If we want consultations, e.g. with an endocrinologist, or plan a pregnancy, it is worth checking whether the service is included in our package and how much we would have to pay extra for it. It also happens that in the case of some specializations, the waiting time may be longer and amount to approx. 2 weeks, which is still shorter than in the case of public medical care;
3. additional services – some medical services, such as aesthetic medicine, vaccinations, gynecological care during pregnancy, rehabilitation may be available with limited access. Any such information should also be clearly included in the contract;
4. grace period – some medical services may have a grace period. This usually applies to more expensive medical services such as surgery, dentistry or rehabilitation. In this way, companies protect themselves against patients who conclude contracts to perform specific treatments;
5. waiting time for an appointment – this is usually the main reason for concluding an agreement with a medical network. However, you should always check the appointment time guaranteed to the patient in the contract;
6. number of available facilities – especially people living in small towns should check this. Remember that despite the signed contract, we may have difficulties using certain services if the company does not have a signed contract with facilities in our city;
7. quality of services – before signing a contract, let’s check the opinions about a given company. The quality of communication, information provision and different methods of arranging consultations are very important;
8. offer – the variety of available packages is very important. Thanks to this, it is much easier to adjust the package to the patient’s needs. Therefore, it is worth considering which services we will use in terms of our age, health, lifestyle or type of work.

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What are the advantages of a health subscription?

Private medical care has many advantages. Worth replacing:

1. no queues – this is the greatest advantage of medical subscriptions. If we need medical help quickly, in the case of insurance, we have a guaranteed visit within a few days (usually 1-3 days). Most often it is enough to make an appointment for a specific time;
2. quality of services – undeniably, the level and quality of medical services under a medical subscription is significantly different from medical services under the National Health Fund. Patients often receive more attention and doctors have a more individual approach. This is due to the greater comfort of the work of doctors who, due to the lack of a queue in front of the office, can work without time pressure and focus on a given patient in peace;
3. easy access to specialists – the biggest disadvantage of public health care is poor access to specialist doctors. Often, it is impossible to arrange a consultation or the waiting time reaches several, and sometimes even several months or even years. If we care about time, using the medical subscription is often a necessity;
4. parallel use of services under the National Health Fund – it is worth remembering that when buying a medical subscription, we do not give up medical care under the National Health Fund. It is only an additional service, so we can easily perform various surgical procedures or undergo hospitalization.

Check: How do medical subscriptions work and what do they include?

What are the disadvantages of medical subscriptions?

Unfortunately, like every product, also medical subscriptions are not free from defects. The disadvantages of this solution include:

1. costs – remember that the medical subscription is an additional paid service. While this is often a necessity, it is not a free solution. When deciding on a subscription, we have to take into account the expense of about several dozen zlotys per month, depending on the scope of the package;
2. limited scope of services – subscription does not mean that we have access to medical care in every case. The scope of the services provided should always be clearly defined in the contract;
3. limited liability – the insurer is not required to consent to the performance of a given service. If the reported service is a consequence of alcohol, drugs, crime or suicide attempts, the patient may be refused to provide it. Such situations are also specified in the contract.

What are the costs of the medical subscription?

The subscription price depends mainly on the scope of the selected package. When deciding on such a solution, we have to take into account the cost of about PLN 50 per month in the case of the basic package to as much as PLN 500 in the case of the packages with the broadest offer. The subscription price is influenced by:

1. age and health of the patient – young people who are in good health can count on a lower price for a given range of services. For older people who already have a long medical history, the price of the packages may be correspondingly higher;
2. package scope – the greater the number of specialists, the higher the subscription price. When deciding on the basic package, we can count on consultations with an internist, family doctor, pediatrician, basic laboratory tests and treatments;
3. type of subscription – the subscription is available for individuals and families. If we want to buy an individual subscription, its price will be much lower;
4. needs of a given patient – it happens that a patient decides to take a medical subscription due to exceptional life circumstances, not related to diseases. This is especially true of women planning pregnancy and mothers;
5. additional fees – it happens that if the insurer offers a low price for the basic package, the contract includes the possibility of additional payment for certain services (medical visits or tests). Therefore, it is very important to check the scope of the selected package and carefully analyze the content of the contract.

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