Health Care System for Children and Adolescents in Slovenia

Abstract

Slovenia's health system is financed by a Bismarckian type of social insurance system with a single insurer for a statutory health insurance, which is fully regulated by national legislation and administered by the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia. The health insurance system is mandatory, providing almost universal coverage (98.5% of the population). Children and adolescents have the right to compulsory health insurance as family members of an insured person until the end of their regular education. Slovenia has a lower number of physicians per capita than both the European Union and the Central and Eastern Europe countries. Slovenia is facing a workforce crisis, as the number of health professionals retiring is not adequately being replaced by new trainees. There is also a net deficit of nurses with university and college degrees. Physicians working with children and adolescents in primary level have a 5-year specialization in pediatrics. Slovenia tends to be in line with the goals for the development of pediatric health care on a primary level in European countries, which are to maintain the achieved level of quality, better and equitable access, and delivery of services, aiming to reduce inequalities in health of children and adolescentsand provide for every child and adolescent in the best way possible.