The New Year has brought good news for foreigners holding a so-called non-dual employee card. If they are registered with the Employment Office, they are now entitled to public health insurance paid by the state. Foreigners with dual employee cards gained this entitlement earlier. The Ombudsman advocated for equal treatment of holders of both types of employee cards.

From January 1, the difference in how health insurance is paid for foreigners registered with the Employment Office has been eliminated. Whether they hold a dual or non-dual employee card, in both cases their health insurance is now covered by the state. The negotiations with the Ministry of Health that led to this change were initiated by Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček.

"The Ministry of Health, and health insurance companies in particular, must treat foreigners seeking employment equally—regardless of the type of employee card they hold. This follows from binding European Union legislation. I appreciate that the Ministry supported my position and quickly negotiated the practical arrangements with the insurance companies,” said Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček.

Referring to cases of foreigners with employee cards who were registered with the Employment Office after losing their jobs, Křeček added: "In accordance with the interpretation of EU law, they received unemployment benefits. However, they were surprised to find that they did not have health insurance. I reviewed the entire situation and concluded that their insurance should be paid for by the state."