Stopped working – am I immediately left without insurance?
Usually, those working under an employment contract do not need to worry about their own insurance – the employer calculates and transfers the mandatory health insurance contributions to “Sodra” every month. However, when circumstances change and the employment relationship is terminated, the health insurance situation changes – in certain cases, the resident must take care of the contributions themselves, according to a press release.
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Upon termination of the employment relationship, the insurance remains valid until the end of the month in which the employment contract was terminated. So, if the employment ends, for example, on August 10, the insurance will be valid until August 31.
However, even after the health insurance validity expires, an additional month guarantee applies, i.e., insured residents can use reimbursed health care services for one more month. For example, if the employment relationship is terminated in August, the additional month would still be valid throughout September.
If I have an additional month, do I not need to pay contributions?
The additional month is a temporary measure that allows access to reimbursed health care services so that during the transition period the resident has time to sort out all insurance matters.
However, the opportunity to receive health services does not exempt from the obligation to pay the contribution by the end of that additional month. If during the additional month the resident becomes employed again or is insured by state funds, there is no need to pay the PSD contribution independently.
“The state guarantee to receive reimbursed health care services for one more additional month does not exempt from the responsibility to pay the contribution but provides time to pay it by the end of the additional month. This time is meant to arrange documents, register with the Employment Service, or find a new job. Therefore, when life circumstances change, it is important to take care of your insurance without waiting until health care services are needed,” says Natalija Jelenskienė, Head of the Insured Register Department at the State Health Insurance Fund (VLK).
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What if I did not pay the contributions?
If the contribution is not paid by the end of the additional month, the insurance is terminated, so residents may have to pay for the provided health care services, reimbursed medicines, and other medical supplies compensated by the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund according to the applicable procedure. Only emergency medical care is provided free of charge to permanently uninsured residents of Lithuania.
N. Jelenskienė reminds that if mandatory health insurance contributions are not paid, a debt accumulates, called a tax arrear, which must be fully covered for the insurance to become valid again. Residents can clarify the amount of insurance contribution debt, its repayment procedure, and other contribution administration issues by contacting “Sodra.”
After paying the debt, i.e., paying all unpaid contributions calculated by “Sodra” for a 5-year period, the mandatory health insurance will be renewed and become valid again.
Check if your insurance is valid
Before visiting medical institutions, it is recommended to check your PSD validity status. This can help avoid unexpected situations at medical institutions and ensure the right to reimbursed health care services.
You can check:
• on the VLK website ligoniukasa.lrv.lt in the section “Check if you are insured with mandatory health insurance”;
• by logging into the VLK electronic services platform;
• by visiting any VLK resident service department and presenting an identity document.
