The health insurance funds will reimburse medical devices at higher prices
The Compulsory Health Insurance Council approved changes to reference prices for reimbursed medical devices. Digital hearing aids, ocular prostheses and orthodontic appliances will be reimbursed at significantly higher rates next year. More than half a million euros from the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund will be earmarked for this purpose.
“The Commission of the National Health Insurance Fund recalculates reference prices of medical devices at least every three years. This time, the prices of digital hearing aids for adults, some orthodontic appliances and ocular prostheses have been recalculated. The good news is that costs of these medical devices will increase next year, thus, improving availability for hearing-impaired adults, visually impaired patients and children with dental and jaw abnormalities,” says Giedrius Baranauskas, head of Medical Devices Reimbursement Division of the National Health Insurance Fund under the Ministry of Health (NHIF).
The Compulsory Health Insurance Council decided to approve recalculated reference prices for digital hearing aids for adults:
- reference price of a hearing aid KLA-2-1 increased by 28 % – from EUR 148 to EUR 190;
- reference price of a hearing aid KLA-2-2 increased by 2 % – from EUR 209 to EUR 214;
- reference price of a hearing aid KLA-2-3 increased by 6 % – from EUR 209 to EUR 222.
According to the preliminary data of the NHIF, this year about 1,000 of KLA-2-1 type digital hearing aids will be reimbursed for adult patients, about 9,000 of KLA-2-2 type, and about 7,000 of KLA-2-3 type.
The Compulsory Health Insurance Council also approved recalculated reference price of an ocular prosthesis. It has increased by 8% from EUR 517.19 to EUR 559. Approximately 450 medical devices are dispensed per year.
The Commission of the NHIF has also recalculated reference prices of orthodontic devices:
- reference price of a bracket system increased by 8 % - from EUR 687.71 to EUR 741;
- reference price of an orthodontic plate for each jaw has increased by 65% from EUR 85.95 to EUR 142.
Around 700 bracket systems and 5,700 orthodontic plates per jaw are expected to be reimbursed this year.
The new reference prices for reimbursed medical devices will enter into force on 1 January 2024, after a Minister of Health signs the draft amendment to the Order.
(Freepic photo)
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Last updated: 31-01-2024
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