Just hours after the new refugee-integration law was published, Poland’s press agency PAP interviewed legal experts to unpack its most contentious chapter – healthcare. Under the Special Act, all Ukrainians who crossed the border after 24 February 2022 enjoyed National Health Fund (NFZ) coverage identical to Polish citizens. That blanket entitlement will now disappear.
![Free healthcare for most adult Ukrainian refugees ends on 5 March – new rules explained]()
Employers and individuals navigating these regulatory shifts can streamline the paperwork by turning to VisaHQ, whose Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) handles residence permits, PESEL registrations and insurance registrations alongside visa assistance. The service’s dashboard lets HR teams monitor every application in real time, easing pressure on mobility managers racing to meet the new healthcare deadlines.
From 5 March 2026 only children, teenagers, pregnant women, postpartum mothers and documented victims of torture or rape will retain automatic NFZ access; other adults must either obtain employment-based insurance, join a family member’s plan or pay voluntary contributions (currently PLN 665 per month). Dr Wojciech Rożdżeński of Warsaw University’s Faculty of Law told PAP that the change aligns Poland with the EU Temporary Protection Directive, which never envisaged open-ended welfare. Employers therefore become the principal gateway to public healthcare. Mobility managers should verify that Ukrainian assignees hold written employment contracts and that payroll departments are registering contributions promptly; otherwise access to hospitals and e-prescriptions will be blocked after a 30-day grace period. Municipalities are bracing for increased demand in local clinics as refugees seek last-minute appointments before the deadline. The NFZ has instructed facilities to accept PESEL-UKR certificates until 4 March but to warn patients that subsequent visits may be chargeable. Private insurers are already marketing discounted group policies to international employers who fear administrative delays. The political debate is fierce. Critics argue that the reform risks creating a two-tier system and could push informal employment underground. The government counters that limited resources must be targeted at the most vulnerable and that full labour-market integration requires migrants to contribute to the system like everybody else. For global-mobility programmes the practical advice is straightforward: audit insurance status, schedule medicals before 4 March where possible, and circulate bilingual FAQs to staff and dependants.
Employers and individuals navigating these regulatory shifts can streamline the paperwork by turning to VisaHQ, whose Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) handles residence permits, PESEL registrations and insurance registrations alongside visa assistance. The service’s dashboard lets HR teams monitor every application in real time, easing pressure on mobility managers racing to meet the new healthcare deadlines.
From 5 March 2026 only children, teenagers, pregnant women, postpartum mothers and documented victims of torture or rape will retain automatic NFZ access; other adults must either obtain employment-based insurance, join a family member’s plan or pay voluntary contributions (currently PLN 665 per month). Dr Wojciech Rożdżeński of Warsaw University’s Faculty of Law told PAP that the change aligns Poland with the EU Temporary Protection Directive, which never envisaged open-ended welfare. Employers therefore become the principal gateway to public healthcare. Mobility managers should verify that Ukrainian assignees hold written employment contracts and that payroll departments are registering contributions promptly; otherwise access to hospitals and e-prescriptions will be blocked after a 30-day grace period. Municipalities are bracing for increased demand in local clinics as refugees seek last-minute appointments before the deadline. The NFZ has instructed facilities to accept PESEL-UKR certificates until 4 March but to warn patients that subsequent visits may be chargeable. Private insurers are already marketing discounted group policies to international employers who fear administrative delays. The political debate is fierce. Critics argue that the reform risks creating a two-tier system and could push informal employment underground. The government counters that limited resources must be targeted at the most vulnerable and that full labour-market integration requires migrants to contribute to the system like everybody else. For global-mobility programmes the practical advice is straightforward: audit insurance status, schedule medicals before 4 March where possible, and circulate bilingual FAQs to staff and dependants.
