EIMIN proposes to include spouses of foreigners working in Lithuania in the compulsory health insurance system
The Government has approved amendments to the Law on Compulsory Health Insurance, which propose to include spouses of third-country foreigners working in Lithuania in the Lithuanian health insurance system.
“More than eight thousand spouses and registered partners from non-EU countries live in Lithuania, who have come together with foreign nationals working in Lithuania, most of whom are highly skilled workers, but not even half of them receive the necessary health care services. For this reason, companies are faced with the departure of highly qualified employees; this is also a barrier to attracting specialists from other countries, to the investment promotion environment, and to Lithuania’s competitiveness in the region,” says Aušrinė Armonaitė, Minister of the Economy and Innovation.
One in five foreign direct investment companies interviewed by Invest Lithuania has already faced the departure of specialists from Lithuania due to the unavailability of health care services for their spouses or registered partners and they predict a 20% departure of highly skilled workers from Lithuania if this problem is not solved.
The draft law proposed by EIMIN aims to include in the group of persons covered by compulsory health insurance (CHI) the spouses and registered partners of citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who have received temporary residence permits, foreigners permanently residing in Lithuania, and foreigners with the right of temporary residence in Lithuania who are covered by the CHI.
“Companies are looking for better solutions to retain their employees and their families, but even additional private insurance does not cover the full range of healthcare services needed. This not only threatens Lithuanian companies with the loss of highly skilled workers, but also puts Lithuania’s economic growth at risk due to a lack of human capital,” says Karolis Žemaitis, Vice-Minister of the Economy and Innovation.
The amendments are expected to improve the environment for attracting and retaining highly skilled workers from non-EU countries, while also addressing the problem of access to healthcare services for accompanying spouses.
The amendments will make Lithuania more competitive with its neighbours and give it an advantage in attracting foreign investment.
The draft law will be submitted to the Seimas for consideration.
Last updated: 23-06-2023
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