VOLUNTARY HEALTH INSURANCE IN BULGARIA – LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND ITS ROLE WITHIN THE HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM
VOLUNTARY HEALTH INSURANCE IN BULGARIA – LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND ITS ROLE WITHIN THE HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines voluntary health insurance in Bulgaria as a specific complementary element within the mandatory health insurance system. It aims to analyse the legal framework governing voluntary health insurance, which operates on market-based and contractual principles, and to clarify its role and functions within the existing health insurance model, founded on compulsory and universal participation. The study seeks to clarify the legal nature of voluntary health insurance by tracing the historical development of the relevant legislation and its transformation into an insurance-based legal relationship. Particular attention is devoted to the relationship between voluntary and mandatory health insurance, with a view to ensuring that the core package of healthcare services remains guaranteed within the public system and that mandatory health insurance is neither replaced nor undermined by private-law mechanisms. The paper further examines data on the current state and development of the voluntary health insurance market, as well as the applicable supervisory and control mechanisms. Special attention is given to the role of the Financial Supervision Commission and to the control powers of the Executive Agency ‘Medical Supervision’ in relation to insurers offering voluntary health insurance products. The analysis demonstrates that voluntary health insurance has a legitimate but limited role as a complementary mechanism within the Bulgarian health insurance system. This necessitates clearly defined legal boundaries and effective protection of the rights of insured persons, while safeguarding the central role of mandatory health insurance in guaranteeing access to essential healthcare services.

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