Since 2007 when the Czech government led by Mirek Topolánek
introduced its plan to reform the Czech health care system, the
phenomenon of the so-called regulatory or patient fees has
become a highly significant issue of public debate. It played a
crucial role in the 2008 regional elections and it became a
symbol of the whole reform of the Topolanek`s government. It
has also been repeatedly the subject to review by the
Constitutional court. So far it has not been properly analyzed
by political science. As a case of public social policy the
issue is heavily laden with symbolism. Therefore, as a method
of analysis we have applied Deborah Stone’s concept of Policy
Paradox which rehabilitates politics as a subject of policy
analysis. The thesis is focused on discourse strategies of
relevant actors and it provides overview of development of the
issue over the time.