| Abstract [eng] |
In Lithuania total health expenditure per capita is half of the EU average, while GDP per capita is 75% of the EU average. In 2015 public health expenditure as a percentage of GDP was 6.51% (the fourth lowest in the EU). A high share, one third, of health expenditure is funded by out-of-pocket payments, which is more than double the EU average. The main cause of out-of-pocket payments is high spending on outpatient pharmaceuticals. This creates financial barriers to the purchase of pharmaceuticals for the most vulnerable groups (retired, unemployed and other low-income people). Only some of them are eligible for partial reimbursement. Prices for pharmaceuticals are high because physicians tend to prescribe unnecessarily expensive brands, and there is a low reliance on generics among the population. The government is taking efforts to promote generics and to reduce prices. Nevertheless, Lithuanians enjoy widespread coverage for a broad package of services thanks to universal compulsory health insurance. Contributions to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) by the state ensure that the unemployed and the most economically inactive population groups who are not capable of working are covered by public health insurance. Economically inactive people who are capable of working have to pay contributions by themselves even if they do not have an income. This creates a potential gap in coverage. However, there are no reliable data on how large it is. It is estimated that about 8% of the population are not paying contributions. However, due to intensive outmigration, a substantial share of them may reside, and be insured, in other EU countries. |
