MPs have decided to send a referendum initiative attempting to block the passage of government-sponsored legislation that would halt the re-incorporation of mutual insurer Vzajemna to the Constitutional Court.
Resuming an extraordinary session started on Friday, MPs voted 49-to-9 on Tuesday to ask Slovenia's highest judicial authority to rule on whether the referendum initiative filed by the opposition National Party (SNS) is in line with the Constitution.

The SNS filed the initiative last week and then supplemented it on Monday in a bid to block the adoption of the changes to the health insurance act, which it believes are biased against Vzajemna, preventing it from competing equally with other health insurers.

The government argues that the new legislation is necessary to safeguard the interests of Vzajemna's clients, who could lose out if Slovenia's largest health insurer is transformed into a joint-stock company as envisaged by its management.

Six SNS lawmakers and three other oppositions MPs voted against asking for the Constitutional Court's opinion on the matter.

Apart from sending the referendum initiative to the Constitutional Court, MPs also decided to ask the Court to block any progress in attempts to transform Vzajemna until it passes a ruling on the initiative.

The development means that parliament will suspend the final reading of the changes until after the Constitutional Court rules on the matter.

Meanwhile, Slovenia's human rights ombudsman spoke out on Tuesday against attempts to transform Vzajemna into a joint stock company.

Matjaz Hanzek said he was personally opposed to the privatisation of "welfare institutions". "Making a profit on account of people's health is immoral. The system of supplementary health insurance is fundamentally flawed," he said at a news conference.