The Battle for Customers: Insurance Companies Spend Millions

Milan Malíček

In the competitive world of health insurance, companies spend tens of millions of korunas to attract new customers. However, despite the hefty expenditures, the shift in the number of policyholders for individual insurance companies remains minimal, often just in the thousands.

Last year’s largest spender wasominent General Health Insurance Company (VZP), which has over 6 million policyholders. According to VZP spokesperson Viktorie Plívová, the company spent approximately 77 million korunas on advertising and PR services. VZP’s campaign focused on broader social issues, such as the financing of healthcare and its sustainability in the future and the importance of prevention for each individual and the entire system.

The Health Insurance Company of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic, with approximately 1.3 million policyholders and an increase of over four thousand new ones last year, spent more than 22 million korunas on a campaign. The insurance company attracted policyholders with an increased contribution to a psychologist, viewing advertising as a general public support for prevention.

The Czech Industrial Health Insurance Company (ČPZP) spent just under 28 million on promotion. Compared to VZP, it recorded more significant movements in the number of policyholders last year. In 2023, 46,667 policyholders registered with ČPZP, and 40,185 terminated their registration.

In contrast, the minor Employee Insurance Company, Škoda, which has around 144,000 clients, spent the least on advertising compared to its larger competitors. Last year, the insurance company recorded 423 departures and 468 arrivals. The balance is, therefore, positive, amounting to 45 policyholders.

Despite the fierce competition and substantial advertising spending, the total number of policyholders recorded by health insurance companies was 10.95 million, of which 56.8 percent were state policyholders.