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27-03-2023

The health insurance funds: more people travelling abroad for treatment

Iliustracija

Cross-border healthcare is slowly recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. The number of requests for the reimbursement of purchased medicines, medical aids and healthcare services provided in other European states has significantly increased, informs the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

“Last year, we have received 131 requests for the reimbursement of cross-border healthcare costs. It is by several dozens more than in the two last years, when mobility of residents was restricted due to COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, recovery of this area is obvious,” observed Inga Ježerkauskaitė, advisor of International Affairs Division of the NHIF.

As stated by her, last year, the Territorial Health Insurance Funds (THIF) reimbursed costs, incurred in other countries of the European Economic Area, to 124 persons insured with compulsory health insurance (CHI) in Lithuania. EUR 141 thousand from the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) has been used for this. It is EUR 45.5 thousand more than the year before.

As every year, with last year being no exception, Lithuanian residents visited neighboring country Latvia for treatment most often, 61 applications to reimbursement of costs incurred in that country were submitted. Also, Poland was visited actively for health services – 33 applications were submitted. Meanwhile, the number of Lithuanian insured persons travelling to Germany for treatment last year was significantly lower than the year before, with the number of applications falling from 21 to 13. Slovakia, Belgium, and Estonia were much less visited last year. After visiting doctors or purchasing medicines in Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, France, Sweden, and Luxembourg, one or several applications to reimburse costs has been received.

“It is not the first year that similar trends have been observed in Lithuania and in other EU countries since the execution of the Directive on the Implementation of Patients’ Rights in Cross-border Healthcare, which allows insured people to travel to other countries more freely for treatment. In Lithuania, insured persons tend to choose neighboring countries for cross-border healthcare. Trends in healthcare services provided also remains similar, with people travelling for the same or similar services year after year,” says I. Ježerkauskaitė.

According to the specialist of the NHIF, outpatient health care services were compensated most often last year, and almost half as many – inpatient services. Also, Lithuanians wanted to recover money for consultations provided by foreign medical specialists. Medical rehabilitation services have been provided to patients in Poland, Slovakia, and Latvia. Reimbursement of the costs for medicines and orthopaedic means is also requested.

The largest compensation paid to a patient from the CHIF was almost EUR 11 thousand for inpatient healthcare services, while the lowest was EUR 21 for outpatient services.
The health insurance funds remind that insured Lithuanians, who received healthcare services and paid for them in the EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway, can apply for the reimbursement of the costs to the health insurance fund not later than within a year. It is important to know that a patient is reimbursed to the same extent as the corresponding medical services are paid to Lithuanian healthcare institutions from the CHIF.

According to the data of the NHIF, the health insurance funds have received 617 applications to compensate cross-border healthcare costs within the last five years. It took almost EUR 600 thousand from the CHIF.

(Freepik photo)

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Last updated: 09-08-2023

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