Hospital directors have welcomed amendments to Lithuania’s Health Insurance Law that prioritise public health care providers in accessing the national health insurance funds, saying the changes could provide the long-term stability needed to plan services over the next decade. Private providers and opposition lawmakers, however, threaten to challenge the legislation.
The amendments, approved by parliament last week, require the National Health Insurance Fund to contract private providers only for services that cannot be delivered by state- and municipally-owned public health care institutions.
The changes do not apply to primary health care, where no limits will be set on the volume of services. Patients will continue to be free to choose between public and private primary care providers.
“We hope these changes will be long-lasting and sustainable because our system requires predictable strategic planning at least 10 to 15 years ahead, as in other developed countries, rather than planning for two or three years before policies change again,” Petras Bimba, director of Biržai Hospital, told a news conference at the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament.
Hospital managers said the amendments recognise the broader responsibilities of public hospitals, including providing emergency care, preparing for emergencies and training medical residents.
