Today, under the current health care system, every citizen has the right to receive a compulsory medical insurance policy (MHI), which guarantees a minimum set of medical services in state medical institutions. However, the compulsory medical insurance policy is only a basic minimum. With the development of private insurance companies, voluntary health insurance policies (VMI) are gaining popularity, providing a wide range of quality services. What shortcomings can the holder of various policies face? What is the fundamental difference between compulsory medical insurance from voluntary medical insurance?

Compulsory Health Insurance

Compulsory health insurance is part of the state social policy and provides citizens with the necessary medical care in amounts that are limited by state programs. The policy of compulsory medical insurance can be obtained by every citizen absolutely free of charge and guarantees protection regardless of wealth, which is an absolute plus. The source of financing is the insurance premiums of employers and the state budget. According to the law, the list of services under the standard compulsory medical insurance program includes primary and preventive medical care. Treatment can be done in state clinics and hospitals to which a citizen is attached at the place of residence.

Unfortunately, in practice, the compulsory medical insurance program has some drawbacks. In public clinics, quite often there are not enough specialists, which leads to large queues. Even an early appointment does not guarantee that you will see a doctor on time. A person who has a busy work schedule cannot afford a long wait in line. There are frequent cases of poor quality of medical services due to lack of motivation among the medical staff. All additional services must be paid, because the MHI program does not cover all expenses. The clinic may not have a narrow-profile specialist or the necessary diagnostic equipment. In this case, you will have to contact a private clinic or other government agency in the direction. Free costly treatment or surgery requires a quota,which is sometimes difficult to obtain. In a hopeless situation, you have to pay for the operation yourself. Hospital wards are quite often crowded, and sometimes there may not be a free bed.

All these shortcomings make the choice of VHI for most citizens quite logical and justified.

Voluntary health insurance

The VHI policy significantly expands the list of medical services that are not included in the standard list of the VMI program. You can buy such a policy yourself or get it as part of corporate insurance at the place of work. VHI takes the quality of services to a new level, because private and public hospitals are interested in cooperating with the VHI insurance company. The holder of such a policy gets access to first-class private medical institutions that have the latest equipment and experienced specialists, or to public clinics with an improved quality of services.

Separately, voluntary international medical insurance policies are allocated with the possibility of obtaining medical services in the best clinics around the world. Conventional VHIs are sometimes limited to one locality or private clinic. An international policy opens up world-class medicine.

Some domestic insurance companies provide the opportunity to undergo treatment abroad, but only within the framework of elite programs, the cost of which is higher than the cost of VHI at the international level. However, in most cases, such organizations are only intermediaries that attract foreign assistance companies or have partnerships only with certain clinics. With an international policy, you can receive treatment at any medical institution around the world.

There is a risk of choosing an unreliable and unscrupulous insurance company. Having received money from the client, upon the occurrence of an insured event, the victim can be sent to the hospital without any advantages, where he will be treated, in conditions that are available with the usual free compulsory medical insurance policy. Choosing the right insurance company and a suitable program will be easier if you familiarize yourself with all the offers on the market and other features.

Everyone has the right to independently choose whom to entrust their health to. For some, the level of compulsory medical insurance is sufficient. If you care about your health and worry about the future of your loved ones - high-quality international medical insurance will become an indispensable tool in any unforeseen situation. Ask AVC Health experts about the remaining benefits of international VHI.