In accordance with Bulgarian law, every foreigner arriving in the territory of this Balkan country must have health insurance with him. This requirement does not apply to all foreigners: the British, Germans, Poles and other residents of the European Union do not need to take out special insurance to visit Bulgaria. Their national insurance policies are valid throughout the EU. Another thing is the Russians, Ukrainians and other inhabitants of the post-Soviet space. To visit this sunny Black Sea country, they will have to purchase health insurance.

Such insurance can be issued by both a Bulgarian and a foreign company, but the insurance must meet the following requirements:

According to the general standards of the European Union, the maximum insurance amount of the policy should not be less than 30,000 euros (60,000 in leva).
The validity period of the insurance must not be less than the time spent by a foreigner in Bulgaria on any of the visas – be it a short-term tourist visa, or a long-term D visa. Experts recommend purchasing insurance valid for a year at once – so you will not have to face any bureaucratic problems when trying to renew visa.
The insurance policy must be valid on the territory of Bulgaria. International policies, or policies valid within the European Union, will do.
Some nuances and features of medical insurance in Bulgaria.

A policy issued by a foreign (in the sense of non-Bulgarian) insurance company may have two clauses:
The duration of the insurance.
2. Time spent abroad.

When filling out, it is important that both of these terms coincide, otherwise there may be problems with its acceptance when submitting documents at the consulate.

The insurance system in Bulgaria has a number of features. For example, each private clinic or hospital here can work with strictly defined local insurance companies. Therefore, if you do not have a standard international policy on hand, but purchased from a Bulgarian company “for local use”, before applying for help to a particular medical institution, it is better to find out if this institution works with your insurance company.

Insurance may have several types of coverage. Standard (cheapest) can only cover medical expenses for accidents (Bulgarian – “evil-wits”) and acute illnesses, such as appendicitis, influenza, etc. Some insurers also include dental services in the list of insured events. But for the treatment of chronic diseases, you will have to pay out of your own pocket. Therefore, if you suffer from any chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, etc.), it would be best to purchase an insurance policy that would cover the costs of contacting Bulgarian medical institutions in case of exacerbation of this disease. Of course, this will increase the cost of the policy, but keep in mind that hospitalization and treatment at your own expense can cost you an order of magnitude more. All insured and non-insured events will be discussed below in more detail.
Algorithm of actions in the event of a medical insured event in Bulgaria.

When receiving insurance compensation, some problems may arise if errors are made in providing and filling out the necessary documents. Insurance is paid only in case of receiving medical services in a clinic or from a private doctor who has an official license. In the case of an outpatient appointment, the patient pays for the doctor’s services with his own funds, takes a check and issues an invoice at the clinic’s cash desk, or with the doctor himself if he is a licensed private practice doctor.

After the visit, you should have three documents in your hands – an outpatient certificate, a cash receipt and an invoice. If the doctor referred you for an examination or prescribed a medicine, then the referral, prescription, check from the pharmacy cash desk or the results of the examination must also be attached to the first three documents. After that, all the above documents are submitted to your insurance company for consideration.

If you are undergoing treatment in a hospital, then you need, according to the regulation on health insurance in Bulgaria, to provide a medical policy to your doctor. And he, in turn, is obliged to transfer it to the accounting department of the clinic, which should contact your insurer and discuss all the nuances and amount of compensation payments for your treatment.

In the event of an insured event, it is necessary, if possible, to notify your insurance agent within 24 hours. The most accessible way to do this is to send a message via email. in an email, sent to the address of the insurance company, you need to indicate the details of the insurance policy, your passport details, the date and nature of the provision of medical services to you.
Insurance in Bulgaria: price.

Typically, the cost of standard insurance covering accidents and sudden illnesses ranges from 130 to 300 leva. This refers to a policy for a middle-aged person, with a coverage of 30 thousand euros and a validity period of one year. However, keep in mind that this is an average price, and in reality, the cost of a policy can vary in a significant range.

Also, the age of the purchaser of the policy has a direct impact on the cost of insurance. The older the insured, the higher the rates of the insurance company for him. Some insurers may refuse to insure senior citizens at all (of course, in this case, it is quite possible to appeal the refusal to the relevant supervisory authorities). As a rule, the age coefficient is introduced for people who have crossed the pension barrier – those who have reached the age of 60 – 65 years. Moreover, this coefficient is quite significant, reaching 100 percent or more. For children under 10 – 12 years old, some companies also introduce a multiplying factor, reaching up to 20 – 25%.
Insurance and non-insured event.

Many of our fellow citizens, while in Bulgaria, believe that the presence of a medical policy gives them the opportunity to contact local doctors for any reason. However, such a delusion can come out sideways, in the form of an unpleasant surprise when trying to return funds from the insurance company. Standard (minimum) insurance in Bulgaria does not include the following cases:
treatment of any chronic diseases, carrying out all the necessary procedures for this, including planned surgical intervention. Examples are HIV, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, oncology, etc.
Diseases of the nervous system, psychiatric care.
Gynecology and obstetric care – including childbirth, postnatal care for mother and child.
Some types of accidents when the insured person is the culprit. For example, in Bulgaria, sunstroke that happened to a person on the beach, or frostbite while climbing, can be recognized as non-insured events.
The company will not pay for medical care if your health deteriorates as a result of self-medication.

You can count on reimbursement of medical expenses in the following cases:
In case of an unforeseen accident, such as an accident or any other traffic accident. This also includes the notorious “slipped – fell – lost consciousness – woke up – gypsum.”
A sudden illness that is not related to chronic: from a common cold to any viral infection.

At the same time, it should be taken into account that if the case is recognized as an insurance case, your insurer will be obliged to pay not only purely medical services and the cost of medicines, but also the costs of transporting the patient to the place of treatment, the costs of related services of a medical institution – such as food, laundry services, nurses, etc. during his stay in the hospital.

Insurance companies, before paying compensation, thoroughly check all the documentation, personally communicate with the patient and the doctor. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that all sick leave certificates and other documents are filled out as correctly and correctly as possible.
INSURANCE POLICIES DELIVERY METHODS:

– delivery of the original cash on delivery to an address in Bulgaria;
– delivery of the original in Bulgaria free of charge;
— delivery to your country in 10 days (10 euros);
– delivery to your country in 3 days (48 euros).