VZP: Refugee influx could raise healthcare expenses by CZK 6.9 billion

The Czech Republic’s main public health insurance company, VZP, expects that the influx of 350,000 Ukrainian refugees could raise this year’s expenditures on care by around CZK 6.9 billion. Roughly two thirds of this number will be covered by insurance premiums paid by the state or employers. VZP representatives announced on Monday that close to 333,000 Ukrainians had thus far registered with the insurer, with a further 38,000 having registered with smaller insurance companies.

Around 18 percent of Ukrainians who are in a productive age have already managed to find jobs in the Czech Republic since they arrived, according to VZP data.

The insurance company’s director, Zdeněk Kabátek, said that he expects insurance costs will probably decrease overtime as more Ukrainians either find work in the Czech Republic or return to their home country.