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Anti-Monopoly Office Approves Merger of State-owned Health-insurers
Monday 07 December 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, December 7 (TASR) - The Anti-monopoly Office (PMU) has approved the merger of state health-insurers Vseobecna Zdravotna Poistovna (VsZP) and Spolocna Zdravotna Poistovna (SZP), it was announced on Monday.
PMU noted that the activities of the health-insurance companies take place within a system that involves a great level of solidarity and in which care is available free-of-charge. The system is also regulated by the state. This means that isn't possible to view the activities of health-insurance companies as entrepreneurial business activities that could threaten competition. It is also why the law on business competition doesn't apply to the activities of health-insurance companies engaged in public-health insurance.
PMU's investigation was launched in line with a proposal drawn up by the Government for the merger of the two companies.
The merger, which was dealt with via a fast-tracked procedure, was passed by Parliament on Thursday and will come into effect (after President Ivan Gasparovic's signature) on December 21.
The two insurance companies should merge in January, with VsZP remaining with over 3.5 million clients. The consolidation project will last until 2011. This step should significantly cushion the effects of the global financial crisis by reducing duplicate activities, costs and contracts.
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