Poland Health Insurance

In the heart of Europe, from which seventeen Nobel prize-winners originate, the Republic of Poland has a population of 38 million with its inhabitants known for their warm and generous spirits, embracing a love of life and appreciation for the present. Europe’s ninth largest country, Poland shares borders with seven nations: Lithuania, Belarus, the Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany and Russia. Poland offers a unique experience for visitors, from exploring 14th century Gothic castles and medieval centers, to pastoral splendor and primeval forest, tree-clad mountains, numerous lakes, and sojourns at the beaches along the Baltic coast.

The 14th most visited country in the world by foreign tourists, Poland has an increasing tourism sector, rapidly modernizing cities, and considerable natural resources. Despite these positive elements, Poland’s unemployment rate is twice that of some of its compatriots in the European Union, struggling with low wages and skill shortages. An important economic hub, the capital Warsaw is Poland’s largest city and political center. All state agencies are represented in Warsaw, including the Supreme Court, the Presidential Office and Parliament. The English, Russian, German and French languages are widely used, along with the official language, Polish. Tourist facilities are well established; however this does not negate the requirement for an international health insurance policy, as waiting times for medical treatment in the country can be lengthy and costs considerable.

Poland Health Care and Health Insurance

Poland’s Ministry of Health has overall responsibility for the healthcare system, which delivers a good standard of care through hospitals, clinics, health centers and dispensaries. State hospitals are divided into three different groups, depending on the referral level, the first concentrating on obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, internal medicine and surgery. The second level referral hospitals provide more specialized services such as urology, cardiology, neurology and oncology. The third level hospitals are highly focused treatment facilities with leading medical specialists. Funding for the health system is derived from two main sources, Government budgets and compulsory contributions by individual taxpayers through the state insurance scheme.

Individual contributions do vary according to income. Citizens cannot opt out of the scheme, even if a low-income earner or on a Government-funded benefit. Approximately 8.5 percent of an employee’s gross salary is directed to the National Health Fund which covers most medical services, from general practitioners and specialist fees to hospitalization and diagnostic services, emergency care and prescription medicines. Dental check-ups and routine visits are also covered. Despite this framework being in place, patients in the public system are still compelled to make under-the-table payments in order to secure medical treatment quickly from doctors and specialists.

All major towns and cities in Poland have hospitals and clinics, however primary care is typically provided by doctors, who are generally the first point of contact with the state funded system. Hospital care is facilitated through referrals by doctors or via means of admittance through an emergency department. While access is available to a wide range of services in Poland under the state system, wait times for non-emergency treatments can be lengthy, compounded by a lower number of medical personnel than in most other countries in Western Europe. Despite Poland having more senior doctors or consultants than general practitioners, there are also long waiting lists to see consulting doctors who provide treatment within the state funded system. While there is also a wide selection of medicines available over the counter in Poland, medications are more expensive compared to other European Union countries. These two issues can be mitigated through arranging comprehensive health insurance, which will allow policy holders to bypass the state system and receive care at private facilities and which will cover the cost of any scripted medications.

Many private clinics are available in Poland, staffed by independent and well qualified practice-based doctors, and fitted with modern equipment. Private medical care is popular in the country, used by more citizens in Poland than in any other country in the European Union. This is due to perceived inadequacies, such as long wait times and lower standard of care in the state-run system. Accessing healthcare through private facilities can be costly however, and many individuals purchase additional insurance coverage, to ensure access to private care. Expat medical insurance is recommended in order to avoid delays in receiving treatment and for covering the cost of private medical facilities should they be required, especially given immediate payment is expected at time of treatment. It is a requirement of the Polish government that foreigners looking for work in the country have private coverage in order to obtain a residence permit.

Emergency services are accessible free-of-charge to all citizens, including those that do not have state health insurance. Emergency treatment is provided in several large hospitals in Poland’s cities, and by general practitioners, who are compelled by law to treat patients at home if not close to a city with such services or where an ambulance is not available. Despite this being the case, delays between contacting emergency services and receiving actual care are significantly longer than in Western Europe, and reportedly not of the same standard. Regardless of this fact, the estimated life expectancy is 72 years for males and 80 years for females placing the country 77th out of a total of 222 for life expectancy at birth.

Poland Travel Insurance Concerns

Hepatitis A & B are pre-exposure vaccines which feature on the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended inoculations list for unvaccinated individuals travelling to Poland. It notes that travel-related cases of hepatitis A can occur in those with ‘standard’ tourist accommodations, itineraries and food consumption behaviours. Travellers can be exposed to Hepatitis B through receiving infected blood through medical treatment, as well as via sexual contact with the local Polish population, therefore consulting a travel medicine physician prior to departing a home country is important to obtain country specific health information and inoculations. Arranging comprehensive expatriate medical insurance is also important to ensure coverage for unexpected medical situations, which in Poland require payment at the time of treatment, and can be of considerable cost. Travel in Poland’s forested areas also exposes travellers to tick-borne encephalitis, as ticks are common in rural parts of the country and active from spring to autumn. As rural and border regions can have limited medical facilities, access and transportation to reasonable healthcare could involve further costs.

Violent crime is rare; however petty crime such as pick-pocketing and bag snatching is relatively common on and around public transport and tourist areas. The larger cities have higher rates of crime. Opportunistic thefts occur, especially from unattended vehicles and those with foreign number plates. Travelers are recommended to be security conscious and guard belongings carefully while in public places. Safety of road users, especially after dark is commonly at risk due to local driving practices, insufficient street lighting, poor road conditions and particularly large trucks contributing to increasing traffic volume on the major east-west transit route. These conditions contribute to the more than 5,000 traffic fatalities (2011) reported annually in Poland, which highlights the need for temporary visitors to have international health insurance in the event of injury or major trauma.

Poland Expat Health Insurance

A good standard of state funded healthcare is available in Poland, and medical personnel are well trained, however many citizens choose to avoid long waiting times imposed by the public system and instead purchase private healthcare insurance. Some medical facilities in rural areas can be limited. In order to obtain residence permits, foreigners yet to obtain jobs in Poland, must provide proof of private health insurance. Comprehensive insurance is recommended, even for short visits to Poland, of which a policy can be arranged through Expat Medical Insurance. We provide globally transferable policies that can cover you wherever and whenever you may travel, be it on an individual basis or with family. A worldwide medical insurance policy provides cover for emergency evacuation, maternity services, doctors’ fees, specialist consultations, medications along with a range of other needs. To access healthcare wherever you are in the world, contact an Expat Medical Insurance consultant to discuss a plan specific to your needs.