Adopted amendments to entitle more people living in poverty to receive reimbursable medicines
The Seimas approved the amendments to the Law on Health Insurance (draft No. XIVP-82) submitted by the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, enabling a higher number of people with the lowest incomes to receive compensation for the patient surcharge of reimbursable medicines and reimbursable medical aids.
"The new legal regulation proposed by the President could ensure the accuracy and adequacy of the conditions for compensating the patient surcharge and in principle correspond to the actual income of persons living in absolute poverty. This is quite important as it would help to ensure a more effective implementation of the objectives of the social exclusion and poverty reduction policies, creating more socially just and possibly more targeted preconditions for ensuring the minimum social guarantees and allowing patients to be reimbursed for the patient surcharges of reimbursable medicines and medical aids, making them available to persons with the lowest income," said Mykolas Majauskas, Chair of the Committee on Budget and Finance of the Seimas, inviting his colleagues to approve the amendments.
Given that the amount of minimum consumption needs is considered as the absolute poverty line, it was decided to assess the lowest income of patients based on the amount that corresponds to 100% of person's income instead of using 95% of the amount of minimum consumption needs, as is currently the case. Also, income will now be measured according to the actual level of absolute poverty of the current year, instead of the previous year. In 2021, this level is 260 euros.
120 members of the Seimas supported the law, no one voted against it, one member abstained.
The amendments will enter into force in on 1 March 2021.
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Last updated: 26-05-2021
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