Greek health insurers report significant financial losses due to inflated charges by private hospitals, despite sharp increases in premiums. Representatives claim that insured patients face hospital fees that are double those uninsured patients are charged, driving annual sector losses between €50 million and €100 million.
Examples cited include a simple hand surgery billed at €1,280 for an insured patient and €640 for others. Similarly, hospitals inflate costs by using expensive equipment even in cases where benefits are marginal. Hospital stays are also extended unnecessarily, adding charges for items such as syringes and gloves.
Industry leaders point to practices like “induced demand,” where hospitals perform unnecessary tests and surgeries to increase bills. Cases include a teenager nearly undergoing surgery for a cyst resolved with medication and elderly patients turned away for non-surgical treatments deemed less profitable.
Critics claim private hospitals target profits by manipulating costs and selectively treating lucrative cases while rejecting those with lower returns. Simultaneously, the private health insurance sector faces mounting losses, exacerbated by inflated medical expenses.
Proposed reforms aim to implement diagnostic-related groups, a classification system already used in public hospitals, to improve transparency and reduce wasteful practices. This approach aligns reimbursement with actual care needs. However, insurers stress the need for broader health reforms, including robust primary care systems to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.