08-07-2021

Health insurance funds are going to pay for treatment in the EU faster

Lithuania has become the 12th country that started to exchange the e-documents related to payment for treatment in the Member States of the European Union (EU) via the special system – that is the information given by the National Health Insurance Fund under the Ministry of Health (NHIF).

The special electronic system – Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) – will help to handle the residents’ applications faster, to shorten the confirmation time of social insurance experience acquired in other Member States, and calculation procedures of benefits or compensations. EESSI system allows to present the information in the standardized mode, because structured electronic documents facilitate communication in different languages and provide the opportunity to collect or check the data more effectively.

From now on, the bills for health care services provided to the Lithuanian residents, who have compulsory health insurance, in the EU Member States and the bills for treatment of persons insured in the EU Member States will be delivered via this system.

According to the EU documents governing and coordinating the social security of migrating persons, the institutions implementing these documents have to exchange the necessary data by electronic means. Therefore, EESSI system was created. It is intended for the specialists of the competent institutions of the EU Member States and assures the possibility to exchange the information faster, more effectively and safely.

In addition to Lithuania, EESSI is used to exchange the data related to payment of bills by our neighbours Latvia, Estonia, Poland, also by Sweden, Austria, Cyprus, Malta, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Hungary, and Bulgaria. All the EU, European Economic Area’s Member States and Switzerland are going to join EESSI system gradually.

The health insurance fund started to use part of the system in May 2020 already: they have been using EESSI system to exchange electronically the documents confirming the persons’ right to receive health care services in the EU Member States. It has been also providing information to the institutions of other countries in charge of health insurance, whether certain person has compulsory health insurance and is entitled to free medical services, whether the person has the right to receive free health care in the country of residence, and about periods when compulsory health insurance was available to persons.

The NHIF specialists are improving their qualification in Lithuania and abroad all the time. EESSI is one of the issues of the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Public Administration, in which NHIF specialists are participating actively.

The NHIF invites you:

Your questions are welcome by email [email protected] or phone: local (8 5) 232 2222, international +370 5 232 2222.