Lithuania

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Eastern Europe and Central Asia

7.8%CHE/GDP

30.2%OOP/CHE

14%GGHE-D/GGE

70BGDP (USD)

2.8MPopulation

12.9%Catastrophic Health Spending

2%Unmet Needs - Total

2.8%Unmet Needs - Female

2%Unmet Needs - Male

Lithuania is a Baltic state on the Baltic Sea’s southwestern shore. After becoming independent in 1990, Lithuania joined the European Union in 2004. Its population is almost 2.8 million people ^[1]. Since 2008 Lithuania has spent over 6% of its GDP on health, reaching 7.85% of GDP in 2021 ^[1]. In 2020 health expenditure in Lithuania was Int$ 2,932, comparatively low against the European Union’s average of Int$ 4,580 per capita in 2019. Lithuania’s per person spending is more than double the average in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which was Int$ 984 for 10 CIS countries in 2020 ^[1]. The share of out-of-pocket (OOP) spending is double the EU average, at 32% in 2019 and 28.7% in 2020 ^[2].

Lithuania has made remarkable progress in reshaping its health system since the 1990s, including an updated institutional and legal framework for providing health services, resulting in health indicators such as an infant mortality rate lower than the rate in much of Western Europe ^[3]. Lithuania has also developed a primary care system, which includes an expanded nurses’ practice and primary care centers with an effective gatekeeping role ^[3]. As a result, Lithuania boasts a modern and inexpensive health care system, largely funded by the government through a national health insurance scheme, which is becoming attractive for medical tourists.

The entire health system is under the responsibility of Lithuania’s Ministry of Health. Primary health and secondary health care are under the municipal councils. The federal government is responsible for tertiary care, which takes place primarily in university hospitals. Health care is usually provided by a general practitioner in the health care system. The patient can also access the system through a specialist. ^[4]

Compulsory health insurance in Lithuania

Health insurance was introduced in 1991. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) was established in 1993. NHIF has five territorial health insurance funds. By law, all employers must register employees in the scheme, and their family members will then also be covered. People who are economically active contribute 9% of their income. Health care, including emergency treatment, is free for Lithuanian permanent and temporary residents at the point of delivery, with the standard system of general practitioner referrals for non-urgent cases. The legal foundation for free access to healthcare is based on paid contributions or participation in the health insurance scheme under the Health Insurance Law. The state pays contributions for the majority of the population (over 55%), including children up to the age of 18, old-age pensioners, people with disabilities, people registered as unemployed, social assistance beneficiaries, and people with specific communicable diseases ^[5].

References

[1] Global Health Expenditure Database. Geneva: World Health Organization. Accessed 30 March 2023.

[2] European Commission. State of Health in the EU: Lithuania. Country Health Profile. 2021. Accessed 30 March 2023.

[3] OECD. OECD Reviews of Health Systems. Lithuania: Assessment and Recommendations. 2018. Accessed 30 March 2023.

[4] Expat Financial. Lithuania Healthcare System & Medical Insurance Options for Expats. Accessed 30 March 2023.

[5] WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Strengthening. Can people afford to pay for health care? New evidence on financial protection in Lithuania. 2018. Accessed 30 March 2023.