Not just a perk: a decision with real business payoff – fewer lost workdays, stronger retention; the size of the effect varies by company.

1. Fewer lost workdays

A Hungarian employee misses on average 9–10 days a year due to illness; for the 15 working days of statutory sick leave each year, the employer pays 70% of the employee's regular pay, and after that, one-third of the sickness benefit as a so-called sick-pay contribution is also borne by the employer. Much of the loss is not the illness but the waiting: weeks or months for a specialist exam or a diagnosis. Private care's appointments within days shorten the patient journey dramatically – colleagues get diagnosed sooner, start treatment sooner, return sooner. Even a handful of saved sick days improves the programme's balance sheet – we'll work out together what that means for your company, using your own headcount and absence figures.

2. Retention: keeping is cheaper than replacing

Replacing a leaver – recruitment, downtime, onboarding – typically costs the equivalent of 5–6 months' salary according to Hungarian research and corporate estimates*. Group health insurance is one of the few benefits employees actually use and value: it shows up as a retaining force in exit interviews and as appreciation among those who stay.

3. Recruiting: candidates now ask the question

We hear it from HR leaders more and more: at interviews it is the candidate who asks – "Does the company have group health insurance?" What was a differentiator yesterday is an expectation today in the more valuable segments of the labour market.

4. Favourable, predictable taxation

The group premium is taxed as a specific defined benefit: the total public charge is 33.04%, borne solely by the company – the employee pays no tax or contribution, and the insurer's service is also tax-free. By comparison, the same net benefit paid as salary carries a combined burden close to 70% – meaning insurance delivers the same employee value more than 20% cheaper. The premium is also a recognised cost for corporate tax.

Detailed tax guide (PDF) ↓

And a fifth you cannot put in a table

Above a certain headcount, colleagues with pre-existing conditions can also be included in the group contract, typically without individual health risk assessment – waiting periods per cover and exclusions for pre-existing conditions, however, can vary by insurer. It is hard for a company to say more tangibly that it counts on its people as human beings.

"Fine, but..." – the three most common objections

• "It must be expensive." The premium is a fraction of payroll, and you can choose from several insurers' competing offers – we show you the ballpark in a 20-minute conversation, no strings attached.
• "The team won't even use it." Utilisation depends on the launch: that is why we hold the employee briefing and why every colleague gets a one-page guide. A well-launched programme sees multiples of the usage.
• "Maybe next year." Health cannot be scheduled – the contract, however, is flexible: at renewal it can typically be adjusted, expanded or trimmed. Starting today is what pays.