Health insurance for non-EU citizens

1. Public Health Insurance

Public health insurance is available for these groups of migrants:

• Citizens of the Czech Republic residing in the Czech Republic;
• Foreigners with permanent residence in the Czech Republic;
• Foreigners who are employees of a company based in the Czech Republic;
• Applicants for international protection;
• Asylum seekers or persons with temporary protection (“dočasná ochrana”), and in exceptional cases, foreigners with a residence visa;
• Family members of EU citizens with temporary residence (spouses only). A spouse can participate in the public health insurance of their partner, who is economically active in the Czech Republic and is a citizen of another EU country. If your spouse is a Czech citizen, this rule may not apply.

Children have extended access to public health insurance compared to adults. However, it is necessary to pay for your child's health insurance as a self-payer.

Children born in the Czech Republic, regardless of their residence status, are entitled to public health insurance for 60 days under the following conditions:

• Health insurance starts on the day of the child's birth and ends on the last day of the month, in which the 60-day period ends.
• Public health insurance is always paid for a full month by a parent as a self-payer. Within 3 days after giving birth, you must call or email the public health insurance company to report the birth of the child.

Children with long-term residence are covered by public health insurance until they reach the age of 18 under the following conditions (valid from 1 January 2024):

• The child has a long-term residence permit and had taken out compulsory commercial insurance before 1 January 2024. Commercial health insurance cannot be canceled. You can sign up for the child's public health insurance 8 days before the commercial health insurance shall end.
• If the child gets a long-term residence permit after 1 January 2024, they become eligible for public health insurance upon receiving the long-term residence permit. It is necessary to report the child to the health insurance company within 8 days of receiving the permit.
• Public health insurance is always paid for a full month by a parent as a self-payer.

BEWARE! Joining public health insurance does not automatically mean that the state will pay for your health insurance. The state pays for your health insurance only in certain cases. For example, if you are receiving a Czech retirement pension.

Public health insurance covers, bonuses or contributions from prevention programs

Public health insurance covers most of the costs associated with medical examinations, contributes to medication expenses, but there are exceptions. Pay special attention to dentists and gynecologists, who may have contracts with your public health insurance provider but may still use materials or procedures that are not covered by public health insurance. Therefore, the public health insurance provider offers bonuses based on preventive care. At the gynecologist, there is usually a fee as they tend to be private clinics. Tip: always ask the nurse or doctor what insurance company they have a contract with and what the insurance company does not cover.

Each public health insurer offers fund benefits. You can find a full list of benefits on your insurer's website. They have standard benefits for dental hygiene, screening for pregnant women and much more. On condition that you have paid health insurance and go for regular check-ups.

Example: you paid 2000 CZK for a dental hygiene treatment. You will send the bill to your insurance company and ask for a bonus. The health insurance company will send you back up to 50% of the price you have already paid. For a complete list of medical care covered by the insurance, click here (page is in the Czech language only). Here are the contact details of the health insurance companies in the public health insurance scheme (available in Czech language only).

2. Private Comprehensive Health Insurance

Private comprehensive health insurance is available for these groups:

• Migrants with a long-term visa or long-term residence;
• Migrants with temporary residence as an EU family member;
• Tolerated stay holders (“víza strpění”).

Conditions and limits of the commercial insurance

The insurance limit is €400,000. This insurance must be** paid for the entire duration of the stay** and must be taken out only by an insurance company authorized to operate this insurance in the Czech Republic.

Commercial comprehensive healthcare is provided based on a negotiated contract. For private insurance holders, it is best to contact the helpline and ask for the contacts of the doctors with whom the insurance company has a contract. If you cannot find a contracted doctor, you need to look for a doctor who also accepts self-pay patients.

At the doctor, you will have to pay for the examination and additional treatment and medication. Our recommendation is to contact your commercial insurance company before your doctor's visit to obtain a 'payment guarantee'. This ensures that the insurance company commits to reimbursing you for the cost of the visit. Taking this proactive step helps clarify coverage details and prevents potential payment issues after your appointment. If you have concealed a condition, for which you are receiving a long-term treatment, your commercial insurer may refuse to pay for specific medical procedures related to that condition. Most commercial insurance companies offer an exclusive package to match public health insurance. However, it is less affordable.

Comprehensive health insurance for foreigners, according to the Act on the residence of foreigners in the territory of the Czech Republic, may be offered only by selected insurance companies. These six insurance companies are currently licensed to sell Health Insurance for Foreigners: Maxima, Slavia, PVZP, SV.pojištovna, Uniqa, Axa Assistance.

Foreigners' health insurance for necessary and urgent care (often referred to as “standard”) is intended for migrants who intend to stay in the Czech Republic for a maximum of 90 days and apply for a short-term visa. You can obtain this insurance with the insurance companies mentioned above.

Differences Between Private Doctors and Public Doctors

Choosing between a private or a public doctor in the Czech Republic involves understanding various factors that affect the accessibility, quality, cost, and convenience of healthcare services. Here is a comprehensive look at the differences between these two options:

Public Doctors: Public doctors in the Czech Republic are part of the state-funded healthcare system. They provide services through public hospitals and clinics, which are accessible to all residents who are covered by public health insurance. Due to high demand, there can be significant wait times for non-emergency consultations and treatments. Public healthcare facilities are widespread, ensuring that most regions have access to medical care. Private Doctors: Private doctors operate in privately-owned practices and hospitals. They offer quicker access to medical services, often with shorter waiting times for appointments. Private healthcare facilities may provide more flexibility in scheduling, including the possibility of evening and weekend appointments. However, they are most often dentists and gynecologists, though they can also be general practitioners. It is important to find out which health insurance companies they are contracted with. Private doctors often require a membership fee. When visiting a dentist, always inquire about the costs beforehand, as some products are not reimbursed by health insurance companies.

3. Intercultural issues in the medical environment

Challenges

Accessing healthcare as a foreigner presents significant challenges that go beyond language barriers. Many expatriates face uncertainty about when to seek check-ups and what treatments are covered by insurance. Language differences often hinder effective communication with healthcare providers, impacting the quality of care. Finding doctors who speak your native language is difficult in some regions, complicating access to culturally sensitive care. Unclear insurance coverage and the potential for over- prescribed treatments further exacerbate these challenges. Moreover, being asked to pay extra for personalized care, such as an English-speaking doctor, may discourage you from seeking the medical care you need.

Solutions

To avoid language barriers and cultural misunderstandings, you can always seek free help from an intercultural professional or worker. You can find a list of names on “Metropole všech” or you can directly contact non-profit organizations that have intercultural workers, social workers and legal professionals.

• Association for Integration and Migration (SIMI): Provides comprehensive support to all migrants regardless of their residence status including social, legal and psychological counseling and support of intercultural workers. Website: www.migrace.com
• Organizace pro pomoc uprchlíkům (OPU): Provides comprehensive support to all migrants regardless of their residence status including social and legal counseling. Website: https://www.opu.cz/
• InBáze: Provides comprehensive support to all migrants regardless of their residence status including social, legal and psychological counseling and support of intercultural workers. Website: https://inbaze.cz/
• Poradna pro integraci (PPI): Provides comprehensive support to non-EU and EU migrants with a valid residence permit in the Czech Republic including social and legal counseling and support of intercultural workers. Website: https://p-p-i.cz/
• The Centre for Integration of Foreigners (CIC): Provides comprehensive support to non-EU and EU migrants with a valid residence permit in the Czech Republic including social and legal counseling. Website: https://www.cicops.cz/cz/
• Integration center of Prague (ICP): Provides comprehensive support to non-EU migrants only. Including social and legal counseling and support of intercultural workers. Website: https://icpraha.com/en/

Author: Markéta Lučanová (SIMI - Association for Integration and Migration)