State-paid health care services are not always absolutely free of charge. The bigger part of the cost is covered by the State, yet most often a patient needs to pay the patient co-payment, which is typically the smallest part of the total cost.
In Latvia, State-paid health care is divided into two parts:
1. Medical assistance minimum, which is fully financed from the State budget.
2. State mandatory health insurance is a set of measures organised by the State based on the solidarity principle. This means that only a part of the cost is State-funded.
Release from the patient’s co-payment
Release from the patient’s co-payment
Some groups of patients do not need to pay a patient co-payment for State-paid health care services.
They include:
- children aged up to 18 years
- pregnant women (for services related to pregnancy)
- persons receiving emergency medical assistance
- persons with a Group I or II disability
- persons in need; and others
You can find a full list in Article 6 of the Health Care Financing Law of Latvia.
note Currently, both socially insured and uninsured persons are able to receive both types of state-paid health care services in Latvia. Once the transition period is over, only socially insured persons or those who have made health insurance contributions will be able to receive health care services under state mandatory health insurance.