Council for Broadcasting to Examine Campaign of Health Insurers

The Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission (RVR) launched proceedings against commercial television broadcasters TV Markiza and TV JOJ, informed the Health Ministry on its web site on Monday. Health Minister Ivan Valentovic filed a motion with RVR last September on suspicion of a violation of the law on broadcasting and retransmission, since broadcasters did not secure balanced information and plurality of opinions in its programs. The motion concerned the advertising campaign warning of consequences of introduction of a single health insurer in Slovakia. The campaign was financed by the Association of Health Insurance Companies (ZZP).
The ministry filed the motion also with the Council for Advertising. However, the Council decided that the motion of the ministry was not justified, since the campaign presented opinions of ZZP, in the case of which it is not possible to examine their verity.
Campaign of ZZP reacted to legislation drafted at that time by the ministry, which introduced changes in the health insurance system. Apart from ads in the press, the campaign was also waged in television commercials. Moreover, the campaign had a form of public presentations in Slovak towns.
Mr. Valentovic disliked in the campaign that ZZP warned against the cancellation of health insurance companies and limited freedom of choice of health insurers, which, ZZP said, might worsen the quality of and accessibility to health care. The minister restated that the legislation drawn up by his ministry would not eliminate health insurers, and leaves it up to citizens to select their health insurers.
The disputed revised law on health insurance came into force on January 1, 2008.