Skip to main content
25-08-2023

An extra month is not a gift but an opportunity with a condition

Iliustracija

The health insurance funds remind that self-insured residents paying compulsory health insurance (CHI) contributions should not forget about their insurance status. The self-employed, those starting work under a business certificate, author’s contract or the unemployed, who are not covered by state funds should be more attentive. These people shall pay monthly fixed compulsory health insurance (CHI) contributions timely.

It is natural that anyone who pays their own CHI contributions may forget to pay on time at least once, but an extra month, provided by the Law on Health Insurance, saves them from such one-time situations. Once again, we draw your attention to this.

An extra month is a period of time during which a resident is entitled to free medical services for an additional month after the expiry of his/her CHI. This month is not a gift but a possibility to be treated for free on the condition that a person must pay CHI contribution until the end of the additional month. And this is a necessary condition for CHI to be continued.

Laura Nakrošienė, advisor of the Population Service Division of Panevėžys Territorial Health Insurance Fund, notes that the right to receive treatment services during an extra month is not the same as a gift or a campaign “Buy one and get one for free”. Unfortunately, according to the advisor, practice shows that some people have a similar understanding of an extra month.

“Residents sometimes think that everyone in Lithuania automatically gets an extra month as a gift from the state. And only when this gifted month is over you need to start looking after your own CHI. Or often, after a month of treatment in a health care facility, people are happy, because they didn’t pay CHI contributions and they didn’t have to pay for services either. They think “why should I be obliged to pay for something that’s already gone and nobody cares”. These are the biggest mistakes, because CHI must be continuous, i.e. a monthly payment cannot be missed in order for a person to receive health care paid for by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF),” L. Nakrošienė says.

An extra month is important and beneficial to residents because it gives extra time to sort out your CHI when different circumstances arise. This month is relevant not only when self-payers pay their CHI contributions, but also upon the change of labour relations – by terminating employment agreement, changing the workplace, also, when adults graduate or terminate their studies and in other cases.

For example, a resident terminated employment on 10 August. Until 31 August, he will be considered an insured person and will be able to receive all medical services provided for by law and paid for by the CHIF. These services will be available free of charge for the whole September, but CHI contributions will have to be paid by the end of this extra month. Otherwise SODRA will recover a missed payment.

There are cases when a resident fails to pay CHI contribution for several months or even years. It is often assumed that, after a break, insurance will resume as soon as a current month’s fixed payment has been made. But it is not true. In such cases when CHI contributions are not paid for a longer period, CHI enters into force on a day when a debt is paid, but for a period not exceeding 5 years, and a contribution for a current month as well.

Panevėžys Territorial Health Insurance Fund 

(Freepik photo)

The NHIF invites you:

Last updated: 19-09-2023

Related news:

Health budget in 2025: what benefits did we receive?

The right to be informed: what is important to know about reimbursable healthcare

Tens of millions of euros for residents’ health: for whom and how are medication co-payments covered?

Study reveals: a family doctor’s advice determines the decision to get checked

Unexpected ailments during the holidays: where to turn and what to know