Latvia will pay from the state budget for those healthcare services, which the nationals of Latvia will have received in UK until the date of UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) or Brexit.
On 26 March, the government approved the amendments to the Cabinet Regulation* to ensure that the National Health Service (NHS) has the right to pay these bills at the time when they are received by the NHS.
The nationals of Latvia can also receive healthcare services in other EU Member States, in the countries of the European Economic Area and Switzerland. When an individual is travelling, for example, or is temporarily staying in another EU Member State and presents the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), he or she is eligible for the necessary or emergency medical treatment to the same extent as would be provided to the nationals of that country. Similarly, people can obtain scheduled treatment abroad by submitting a special form.
This procedure also applies to healthcare services received in UK; however, from the date of Brexit, the situation will change. As UK becomes the third country, Latvia can no longer pay from the state budget for healthcare services received there.
Therefore, in order to ensure that the state can pay an invoice of a person insured in Latvia for healthcare services received in the United Kingdom, it is necessary to amend the regulations. The NHS will have the right to pay for healthcare services provided in UK, which have been received or launched until the date of UK’s withdrawal from the EU. It should be noted that the NHS can access the information on services received in UK even one year after the provision of a healthcare service, so even after UK's withdrawal from the EU.
*Amendments to Cabinet Regulation No. 555 “Procedure for the Organisation and Payment of Health Services” of 28 August 2018.
Anna Strapcāne Press Secretary of the Ministry of Health Phone: 67876106; 20388356 e-mail: anna.strapcane@vm.gov.lv