Compulsory health insurance (CHI)

Compulsory Health Insurance (CHI) is a system of health care and economic measures established by the state, which, on the grounds and under the conditions laid down by the Law on Health Insurance of the Republic of Lithuania, guarantees health care and reimbursement of its costs to persons insured with compulsory health insurance using the budget of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund.    

The principles of compulsory health insurance are: 

1. the universality principle means that all persons covered by compulsory health insurance as specified in Article 6(1) of the Law on Health Insurance of the Republic of Lithuania are obliged to pay health insurance premiums (or to have such premiums paid for them) and are entitled to receive health care reimbursed by the budget of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund in the cases and in the manner prescribed by the Law on Health Insurance of the Republic of Lithuania;   
2. the solidarity principle means that the contributions of all persons who are obliged to pay compulsory health insurance premiums under the Law on Health Insurance of the Republic of Lithuania, as well as the funds of the state budget, contribute to the accumulation of compulsory health insurance funds. This creates the preconditions for the reimbursement of health care costs for those insured by compulsory health insurance;
3. the equity principle means that an insured person covered by compulsory health insurance contributes to the financing of the health sector according to his or her means, but that all insured persons are equally guaranteed the same quality of health care, without discrimination on the basis of gender, race, nationality, citizenship, language, origin, social status, religion, beliefs or opinions, age, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic origin, or religious belief.

The CHI is carried out by the Compulsory Health Insurance Council, the National Health Insurance Fund under the Ministry of Health and Territorial Health Insurance Funds.