FAQ

1. I intend to give birth in Austria. I would like to get information on amount of reimbursement which is the insurance company, I am insured with, obliged to reimburse me. At the same time, I would like to get know what forms, requests and documents I am obliged to submit or fill in and when  (before giving birth)?   

 Scheduled delivery is not included in the list for cross-border healthcare subject to prior authorization by the competent health insurance company.  The competent health insurance company in the Slovak Republic (hereinafter “SR”) reimburses the costs for cross-border healthcare if the healthcare is among benefits covered by the public health insurance system in the Slovak Republic.. Procedure to be followed by the insured person and the documents needed to be submitted to the competent health insurance company while applying for reimbursement of costs is laid down by the Article 10 of the Law 580/2004 as amended. The application is to be submitted to the competent health insurance company within 6 months deadline from the end of provision of the cross-border healthcare. Original document on payment, medical report/report on healthcare being provided, original document listing provided medical procedures as an invoice, bill for medical procedures, prescription for medicines or medical devices is to be enclosed to the application for reimbursement.  

 2. Procedure to be followed by the insured person in order to get the reimbursement of costs incurred when receiving the cross-border healthcare.  

The transposition of the Directive 2011/24/EU on application of patientsʹ rights in cross-border healthcare by the Slovak Republic was brought into force as from 01.10.2013. Rights and obligations of the insured person as well as the health insurance company in cross-border healthcare are stipulated particularly in Articles 9d, 9e, 9f, 10 of the Law 580/2004 on health insurance as amended (hereinafter “Law 580/2004”). The insured person has right to be reimbursed in tariffs of the Slovak Republic for costs of cross-border healthcare provided in another EU Member State by a healthcare provider, regardless the healthcare provider is financed by the public system or not, if the healthcare is among the benefits covered by the public health insurance system, The amount reimbursed for the costs of cross-border healthcare is defined under the Article 9 (10) of the Law 580/2004 as average price for each medical procedure in force at the time of provision of healthcare that the health insurance company has agreed on with the healthcare providers with whom the health insurance company has a contract for provision of healthcare, and who provide the same healthcare as that provided to the insured person in another EU Member State.   

3. If I undergo an in vitro fertilization in the Czech Republic and medicine is dispensed in pharmacy in Slovakia, am I entitled to reimbursement for the medicine? 

In general, it can be said that the EU Member States recognize prescriptions from another Member State. The rules for reimbursement are not affected by the mutual recognition of prescription. If you are insured with one out of the Slovak health insurance companies, you have residence in the Slovak Republic and your competent health insurance company has granted you a prior authorization for assisted reproduction in the Czech Republic, you are entitled to be reimbursed for costs for medicine under the legal provisions of the Slovak Republic.   

4. Is it possible to ask for information at NCP site (National Contact Point site) in foreign language? When will be your web also available in English? 

 Information on cross-border healthcare may be asked for in each EU Member State official language. However, the reply to the request for information on cross-border health care will be provided by the Health Care Surveillance Authority in the Slovak language possibly in English. As regards, the information on cross-border healthcare published at NCP site, it is also available in English.  

5. What are the possibilities to undergo kidney transplantation abroad? This is a complicated repeated transplantation that I intend to undergo in the Czech Republic.

You can get treatment in which you are interested in the Czech Republic as a cross-border healthcare. The insured person has right to be reimbursed in tariffs valid in the Slovak Republic for costs of cross- border healthcare provided in another EU Member State by a healthcare provider, regardless the healthcare provider is financed by the public system or not, if the healthcare is among the benefits covered by the public health insurance system in the Slovak Republic. The reimbursement of costs is provided in the amount of the corresponding to payment in the Slovak Republic.

The treatment you are interested in belong to the healthcare that requires prior authorization from the health insurance company concerned, so you have to apply for it before your treatment abroad. The requirements of the application for prior authorization and decision-making process are stipulated in Articles 9f, 10 of the Decree of the Ministry of Health No. 232/2014- (clicks on the nkm portal section: Rights and entitlements of insured person – Slovak legislation), there is also justification for the need to provide cross-border healthcare by Slovak provider in the relevant medical specialization. You can contact health insurance company  for more information.

In case you have been given a prior authorization from the competent institution you will pay the costs of the provided healthcare directly to the healthcare provider in another EU Member State.

Subsequently, you are entitled to reimbursement of the costs incurred upon the request for reimbursement submitted to the competent health insurance company. Health insurance company will make the refund in the amount which equals to the average price for the healthcare, rendered abroad, which has been in force at the time of provision of healthcare that the health insurance company has agreed on with its contracting healthcare providers.

To ensure entitlement to reimbursement of costs a request must be sent to the competent health insurance company within six months of the end of provision of cross-border healthcare. An application for reimbursement of healthcare costs must contain the original of   document whose text includes confirmation of receipt of a sum, record of treatment, a report on provided healthcare, an original of a document listing provided medical procedures as an invoice, bill for medical procedures and some other documents according to Article 14 of the Decree of the Ministry of Health No..232/2014- (clicks on the nkm portal section: Rights and entitlements of insured person – Slovak legislation). Only your health insurance company can provide you information about amount of reimbursement. 

6. I have to undergo a spine surgery due to worsening of my health condition. I have been treated for a long time in Slovakia (neurology, physiotherapy). I would like to undergo surgery in the Czech Republic. Where can I get information about estimated prices in Slovakia that would be reimbursed to me by the health insurance company?

Information about the costs of individual medical treatments (contract prices agreed with healthcare providers) will be provided by your health insurance company where you are public health insured. For information on the terms of payment, please refer to the answers to the previous questions.

7. I am insured with the Slovak health insurance company as an employee. I would like to go to the non-contractual dentist for preventive examination and regular treatment in the Czech Republic because I live near the border area between Slovak and the Czech Republic (it is no contractual health care provider). Is there entitlement to reimbursement of these costs?

You can get dental treatment including preventive care in the Czech Republic as a cross-border healthcare if this health care is covered by public health insurance system in the State you are insured in – i.e. in Slovakia.

The status of the healthcare provider in the Czech Republic is not decisive – the insured person has the right to receive cross-border healthcare by contractual and non-contractual healthcare provider too.

Please note, that a certain type of healthcare (for example in dental surgery) requires the prior authorization by your health insurance company. Without prior authorization it is not possible subsequently to reimburse the costs by the competent health insurance company.

The costs of cross-border healthcare are reimbursed in the amount of the rates of the state of insurance.  So there is always some difference between the costs paid and costs reimbursed. For information about reimbursement, please refer to the answers to the previous questions. Information about the amount of reimbursement will be provided by your health insurance company with which you are insured.

8. The dentist applied me a dental all-ceramic crown in Hungary. Then I asked my health insurance company for the reimbursement of cross-border healthcare. I am not satisfied with amount of reimbursement. I consider the amount of reimbursement granted by the health insurance company to be disproportionate. Where and how can I verify the accuracy of the reimbursement amount provided by the health insurance company?

In general, the insured person has right to be reimbursed in tariffs of the Slovak Republic for costs of cross-border healthcare, if the healthcare is among the benefits covered by the public health insurance system.

The amount reimbursed for the costs of cross-border healthcare is defined under the Article 9 (10) of the Law Act No. 580/2004 Z. z. on health insurance and amending Act No. 95/2002 Z. z. on insurance and amending certain acts, as amended (clicks on the nkm portal section: Rights and entitlements of insured person – Slovak legislation), as average price for each medical procedure in force at the time of provision of healthcare that the health insurance company has agreed on with the healthcare providers with whom the health insurance company has a contract for provision of special dental healthcare.

The Health Care Surveillance Authority is not competent to verify the correctness of the amount of cross-border healthcare reimbursement because this is the average reimbursement calculated from the contractual prices of a particular health insurance company with its contracted health care providers in the field of dentistry.

You can contact internal supervision department of your health insurance company if you are not satisfied with reimbursement.

You can ask for protection of your rights in the appropriate Slovak court if you think that your rights in case of cross-border healthcare reimbursement were not respected.

We would like to point out that the reimbursement of dental prostheses from the public health insurance system in the Slovak Republic is limited.  The health insurance company only pays for the standard material, which is resin. So you can have doubts about the amount of reimbursement  because material used in your case – porcelain, which costs are multiple higher than the standard material.

9. I am insured with the public health insurance system in the Czech Republic, but I intend to be provided with the health care in Slovakia. Please, send me a list of healthcare providers in Slovakia.

The list of health care providers is available on the portal of the National Contact Point for Cross-border Healthcare www.nkm.sk (clicked on the nkm portal section: Healthcare Providers).