God help the "insured" who has to enter the hospital and has not paid their insurance premium in 100% cash dollars. The equation has changed today; hospitals no longer charge only the difference in fresh dollars if the patient needs medical supplies for "lollar" policies. Instead, the difference is now generally in cash dollars (or its equivalent according to the black market rate if the hospital or laboratory management is lenient with the patient). As for out-of-network insurance policies regarding external tests and images in private laboratories or in hospitals, the difference is now settled and calculated in "fresh" currency. In this context, the head of the Private Hospitals Syndicate, Suleiman Haroun, explained to "Nouvelle Agenda" that "the difference paid by the insured is therefore greater if the policy is old, i.e., in 'lollar.' For example, instead of a 15% out-of-network difference, it becomes 25% in cash dollars because the policy premium was not paid in cash in green currency."
Regarding the refusal of hospitals to accept checks or transfers from insurance companies, Haroun confirmed that "all hospitals now collect bills from insurance companies in cash dollars, so companies obtain premiums from the insured in dollars, achieving 100% coverage. As for old policies, i.e., those that have not been renewed or canceled to become 'fresh,' Haroun stated: 'Hospitals still accept checks, so the insured pays the differences.'"
Insurance companies began reaching out to the insured in October to convert policies to "fresh," and the president of the Insurance Companies Association in Lebanon, Eli Nasnas, stated to "Nouvelle Agenda": "We offered the insured to recover the premiums that were paid and renew contracts to become cash in dollars; thus, the number of old policies is now minimal, with only 10 or 15% remaining."
The "dollarization" of insurance premiums amid the economic crisis gripping Lebanon has shifted the insured's level of healthcare from first to second and even third, with some not renewing their insurance contracts and remaining uncovered, estimated at about 20%. Regarding the prices of new policies, they are now 25 to 35% lower than the prices that were implemented before the financial and economic crisis, coinciding with hospitals also lowering their bills to private insurance companies in hard currency.
In this regard, Nasnas pointed out that "the cost for hospitals is high in terms of securing electricity and buying diesel in cash dollars, in addition to the inflationary impacts of the Ukraine war on all countries worldwide, including Lebanon. Prices of raw materials such as oil, food, steel, and platinum have increased, reflecting an increase in medical supply costs as well."
As for the number of insured individuals in private companies, Nasnas noted that "according to 2020 statistics, their number, including foreign workers, is 650,000." It is essential to highlight that renewed insurance policies no longer calculate the difference due to the minimal coverage ratio of the latter, which has dropped to 10% from 90% previously due to calculating the dollar at a rate of 1,500 lira.
Thus, the time for insurance companies to pay hospitals’ bills in checks or "lollar" is over, and this is now limited exclusively to old policies that do not bear the famous "Fresh" label. Meanwhile, the state has left citizens to struggle on their own to meet their living and medical needs amid the overwhelming "dollarization" impacting all sectors without exception.
