Can I change my health insurer?
Yes, but only once a year — and one date decides it. The application to your new health insurer must be filed by 30 September at the latest. Make that deadline and you become their insured person from 1 January of the following year; miss it and you wait a whole further year. You can apply in person at a branch, by post or electronically. There is a safeguard against a rash decision: you may cancel the application without giving a reason until 31 October — after that the decision is binding. And do not forget one thing: you must notify your employer within 8 days, or they will keep sending contributions to the wrong insurer.
📋 The rules
- You may change insurer once a year only
- Application by 30 September at the latest
- The new cover starts on 1 January
- The application can be cancelled until 31 October
- Notify your employer within 8 days
🔓 Exceptions
- The application can be filed in person, by post or electronically
- Cancelling by 31 October requires no reason to be given
- Changes of insurer are supervised by the Health Care Surveillance Authority
⚠️ Penalties & fines
A missed September means a lost year. The 30 September deadline is preclusive — the insurer will not accept a later application and your next chance comes in twelve months. The commonest mistake after a change, though, comes later: people forget to tell their employer. They have 8 days to be notified, and without it they keep sending advances to the old insurer — producing arrears with the new one and an overpayment with the old, which then takes effort to unwind. If you have changed your mind, act by 31 October: until then it is enough to cancel the application, and no reason need be given.
📎 Official sources
- Health Care Surveillance Authority →
- Slov-Lex · Health Insurance Act (580/2004) →
- General Health Insurance Company (VšZP) →
❓ Frequently asked
What is the application deadline?
By 30 September at the latest. Miss it and the insurer will not accept the application, and your next opportunity comes only a year later. The new cover then takes effect from 1 January of the following year.
Can I still change my mind?
Yes, until 31 October. You may cancel the application without giving any reason and remain with your existing insurer. After that date the decision is binding and the change goes through.
How is the application filed?
In person at the insurer's premises, by post, or by electronic means. Insurers now routinely allow online filing, which is the quickest route and leaves you with a record of it.
Do I have to tell anyone?
Yes — your employer, within 8 days. Without that they will keep sending advances to the old insurer, creating arrears with the new one and an overpayment with the old. Unwinding it is slow.
How often can I do it?
Once only. You may switch insurer one time a year, always with an application by the end of September. Frequent switching between insurers is therefore not possible, even if you change your mind.
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