Preventing the Shrinking of Reproductive and Other Health-Related Rights with the Abolition of Supplemental Health Insurance

For more than 20 years, we have been listening to predictions, promises and failed attempts at abolishing supplemental health insurance. Currently, we are the closest we have been to these promises coming true. This is due to recent filing of a bill that would abolish supplemental health insurance by the Gibanje Svoboda parliamentary group. Upon the first analysis of the draft bill, we have found that some reproductive rights – the most notable on being the right to artificial termination of pregnancy, which is enshrined in the constitution – have been removed from the list of rights provided by compulsory health insurance. If this bill were accepted, artificial termination of pregnancy would become an out-of-pocket service. The bill abolishing supplemental health insurance bust be clear in ensuring that our rights will not shrink with the abolition of supplemental health insurance. Slovenians can be proud of the many rights we can enjoy due to our public healthcare. In many countries across Europe and elsewhere, these rights are shrinking increasingly. We must not allow this to happen in Slovenia as well.

This is why at the end of May, the 8th of March Institute started a project dubbed Public Health is Our Right (Preventing the Shrinking of Reproductive and Other Health-Related Rights with the Abolition of Supplemental Health Insurance). The aim of the project ws based on monitoring the legislative procedure and preparing our own record of lost rights. In June, we drew up the legal amendments in June together with healthcare and legal experts. These amendments preserve reproductive and all other health-related rights upon the abolition of supplemental health insurance. Our amendments have been sent to the National Assembly, where we presented our viewpoints to the members of the national assembly. They listened to our considerations and the considerations of the Legal Service and amended the faults so as to once again enshrine reproductive and some other health-related rights into the legislation. From June to July, we will continue monitoring the amendment of the legislation and make sure that none of the basic health-related rights are lost in the interim period. In June, we already started publishing support from experts, who have warned how important a important a clear bill of rights is for maintaining a healthcare system that is free and public. The last stage of the project will start at the beginning of July, when the bill will once again be discussed by the parliament. In this period, we will present solutions to representatives of the authorities and strive to achieve that the legislative procedure preserves accessible and free healthcare.

The campaign took place on the website, Facebook and Instagram profiles of the 8th of March Institute.