Planned changes in sickness insurance or from paper to electronics

An amendment to Act No. 187/2006 Coll., on sickness insurance, is currently in the legislative process in the Chamber of Deputies.

The key innovation is the introduction of electronic communication for all sickness insurance benefits, including maternity benefits, nursing and long-term care benefits. This follows the successful implementation of e-sick leave from 2020.

Other important changes include:

• the introduction of entitlement to sickness benefits for self-employed (and foreign) employees covered by sickness insurance and other categories of employees, e.g. insured employees working on the basis of a temporary or permanent contract;
• simplification of long-term care benefits, where the requirement of a joint permanent residence for the spouse and the condition of written consent of the person being treated is abolished;
• the abolition of the concept of “domestic worker”, reflecting current trends in teleworking;
• abolition of the concept of ‘isolation’ – isolation will now be considered as temporary incapacity for work.

Overall, the bill aims to improve the efficiency of sickness insurance, simplify administrative processes and facilitate communication with the authorities. It is expected that the amendment could come into force on 1 January 2025. We will of course keep you informed of further developments.