PECULIARITIES OF HEALTH INSURANCE IN CONDITIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

Abstract

In this article the status and prospects of the development of health insurance in Ukraine as well as the opportunities of integration of personalized medicine in it are examined. Voluntary health insurance in Ukraine continues its functioning on the appropriate level even in the conditions of the full-scale law. However, the issue of implementation of compulsory health insurance cannot get the ball rolling for a long time. During the last 10 years, legislative work on the normative regulation of the issue of compulsory health insurance is actively conducted. But even with the introduction of compulsory health insurance at the legislative level, under the circumstances of a rather low level of well-being of the main part of the population, in the conditions of military aggression and economic crisis and the absence of a real possibility of full-fledged functioning and provision of health care at the state level, it is considered unacceptable to shift the burden only to the funds of compulsory health insurance. This determines the relevance of the research topic. As a result of a systematic analysis of current legislation and a large number of draft laws in the field of insurance, it was established that there is no unified comprehension and approach to the creation of the concept of compulsory health insurance, the definition of the essence of the category of medical services free of charge and state guarantees regarding to the provision of free medical assistance. In addition, three concepts of the existence of voluntary health insurance are distinguished. The following potential risks that may meet the participants of the health insurance relationships in programs with the personalized medicine approach are also identified: discrimination (for example, in employment or further insurance); violation of the balance between economic benefits and data privacy; and even data theft. According to the results of the research, it was clarified that the existing insurance system and the level of development of the Ukrainian healthcare sphere are not ready for the implementation of the basics of personalized medicine (in particular, the mass applying of the genetic tests) into the procedure of compulsory state health insurance, and therefore it seems appropriate to practice them through elements of voluntary health insurance gradually.