The Covid-19 epidemic has had a strong impact on individuals, society, businesses and economies around the world. The purpose of the master's thesis is to present the impact of the epidemic on the voluntary health insurance market in Slovenia and Croatia and to determine the response and readiness of the insurance sector to the changed business methods, and the response of users, which is reflected in the conclusion of voluntary health insurance and the use of services. The descriptive method, the compilation method, the comparative method and the inductive method were used to prepare the theoretical part. The empirical part is based on a questionnaire survey conducted among users of voluntary health insurance services, i. e. legal and natural persons. The results of the survey are presented using the method of statistical data analysis. We assess that the insurance sector in Slovenia and Croatia reacted quickly and effectively to the changed market conditions, and the epidemic had the greatest impact on the area of digitization of business operations, ensuring the safety of employees and users, and providing services to its customers. We also find that the epidemic did not affect the decision to take out an individual and collective health insurance directly, however, it is to be expected that individuals will take out insurance remotely more often in the future.
Regarding insurance providers and offers, the master's thesis offers the public an insight into the voluntary health insurance market. Furthermore, it presents the professionals in the field with the shortcomings of the public health system, which are known to the users. Moreover, it provides the insurance profession with starting points for improvements in the area of individual product development and digitalization of operations. It mainly affects the field of health economics, thereby encouraging the provision of health services by private persons and thus relieving the burden on the public health system.
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