2023 has been a very busy year in terms of changes in the Czech immigration law. Canceling the monopoly of pVZP is undoubtedly one of the best things that the year has brought in the Czech immigration field. Read more about the end of pVZP monopoly, rules for canceling your policy with them, new options, new prices, new insurance limits and more in the article below.
If you were interested in other changes that has happened in 2023, read for example this article: Significant Updates in Czech Immigration Law – effective from 1.7.2023.
What was the pVZP monopoly about?
Back to pVZP though. Two years ago (2021), the government decided (going against Czech and EU law and against arguments of everyone involved besides pVZP board members) that in two weeks from then, all private insurance companies had to stop selling their comprehensive insurance plans and the only insurance company allowed to do that was pVZP. It meant many things, but what it mainly meant for you, a foreigner living in the Czech Republic, was that you had no choice.
If you wanted to stay in the Czech Republic, you had to buy the insurance pVZP was offering, regardless of it’s quality or price. If you did not want to get pVZP insurance, you had to leave the Czech Republic since there was simply no other option.
What does the end of pVZP monopoly mean for you?
The monopoly has been officially canceled on 20.9.2023 which means that from this date on, other private insurance companies can start offering their comprehensive health insurance plans as well. What it means for you is that you will once again have a choice. You can still stay/get pVZP insurance if you like it. If you prefer a lower price or different coverage than they offer, you can buy the insurance from some other company.
We have compared the prices and for example in case of people above 65 years of age, the difference between pVZP and some other insurance companies can be around 40% or 30 000 CZK a year.
What other changes does the canceled monopoly law brings?
The law that canceled the monopoly of pVZP introduced some other changes as well. We are listing them below:
- Increased coverage limit – the law says that the minimum coverage limit of any comprehensive insurance must now be at least equivalent to 400 000 EUR or 10 000 000 CZK. That is 5 times more than before (60 000 EUR). If your insurance says 60 000 EUR now, it will be automatically considered 400 000 EUR three months from 20.9.2023. The insurance company has the right to increase the price of the insurance though and charge you the balance.
- You can cancel your current pVZP policy within 3 months from 20.9.2023 and get a new one somewhere else but in that case, pVZP does not have to refund you anything. Not that good for you – so it might be best to wait until the insurance ends and get a new one then.
- A new registry of the insurance (contracts) must be established within a year so authorities (and doctors) should be able to see who has what kind of insurance. In ideal world, it could mean that the MOI (doctors) could check themselves so you would not need to bring the insurance with you all the time but we are honestly not sure it will be like this anytime soon.
Move To Prague relocation experts is licensed by the Czech National Bank to sell insurance of all insurance companies in the Czech Republic. We work with all the major companies from pVZP to Maxima to Slavia. We also offer the best prices for all these insurance companies (since we sell a lot of insurance yearly 🙂 ).
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