The Croatian Health Insurance Fund ( hr, Hrvatski zavod za zdravstveno osiguranje or HZZO) is a

quasi-public A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the governmen ...

body that administers the

universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

system in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. Established in 1993, the HZZO is the country's national social

health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...

fund and its primary source of health financing. In 2019, 4.18 million people received health insurance coverage through HZZO.

Organization

The HZZO is overseen by a director and a board of directors, appointed by the Croatian government on the recommendation of the

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

. These directors represent the insured population, the Ministry of Health, the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Eco ...

and independent general practitioners.Vončina, Jemiai, Merkur ''et al.'' (2006). p. 19. A central office located in the Croatian capital of

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, sets policies that are implemented by branch offices in each of the country's 21

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. All health care providers that receive public funds are required to negotiate annual contracts with the HZZO that set prices and payment plans. p. 3.

Funding

Compulsory health insurance contributions form 76% of the fund's income. About a third of the population - those in employment - are liable to pay full contributions.

History

The

Constitution of Croatia The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Ustav Republike Hrvatske) is promulgated by the Croatian Parliament. History While it was part of the socialist Yugoslavia, the Socialist Republic of Croatia had its own Constitution under the ...

, adopted in December 1990, declared that health care is a human right. In 1993, the HZZO was created by the

Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor ...

in order to consolidate the fragmented and decentralized health care system which had been inherited from the

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

. The 1993 law recognized patient choice as a principle through a mandatory

payroll tax Payroll taxes are taxes imposed on employers or employees, and are usually calculated as a percentage of the salaries that employers pay their employees. By law, some payroll taxes are the responsibility of the employee and others fall on the em ...

of 15% and allowing the use of private supplementary plans. The Health Care Law of 1993 also guaranteed patients rights which includes access to information about their health, and the ability to refuse examination and treatment. In July 2001, the Ministry of Health under Ana Stavljenić-Rukavina issued a policy statement entitled "The Strategy and Plan for the Reform of the Health Care System and Health Insurance of the Republic of Croatia." Noting that such factors as the country's aging and the generous benefits established since 1993 threatened the fund's sustainability, the paper proposed reducing the amount of basic services that are free at the point of use, which would result in the HZZO becoming less dependent on payroll contributions. In order to increase revenue, the 2002 Health Insurance Law introduced higher

copayment A copayment or copay (called a gap in Australian English) is a fixed amount for a covered service, paid by a patient to the provider of service before receiving the service. It may be defined in an insurance policy and paid by an insured person ea ...

s for hospital and specialist services. These services include

diagnostic test A medical test is a medical procedure performed to detect, diagnose, or monitor diseases, disease processes, susceptibility, or to determine a course of treatment. Medical tests such as, physical and visual exams, diagnostic imaging, genetic ...

s and

prescription drug A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The rea ...

s. It also created a voluntary insurance policy that would complement the mandatory coverage each citizen received. After 2002, citizens were no longer allowed to opt out of the public insurance system. p. 33.

References

External links

* {{in lang, hr Medical and health organizations based in Croatia Organizations established in 1993 1993 establishments in Croatia Organizations based in Zagreb Donji grad, Zagreb