Saeima delays two-tier healthcare system until 2027

Latvia’s parliament has postponed the introduction of a two-tier healthcare system until December 31, 2027, LSM reported. Saeima approved the delay on Thursday in an urgent procedure at the second and final reading.

The current system provides healthcare services to all residents, regardless of their insurance contributions. The proposed model has been repeatedly delayed since it was established in law.

Under the plan, a basic package would be available to Latvian citizens, non-citizens and foreign nationals with permanent residence permits. A full package would cover people paying mandatory social insurance contributions, as well as groups considered more socially vulnerable, including children, pensioners and unemployed people. Others would be able to join the state health insurance scheme voluntarily by making voluntary contributions.

Previous discussions have raised concerns about the minimum services in the basic package, access to care, social consequences and possible unfairness. Some have argued that the system should be scrapped as outdated and complicated.

Former MP Ingrīda Circene, who has also served as health minister, criticised both the two-package model and the latest delay. She said the model proposed under two previous Saeimas did not solve the problem, arguing that the limited package effectively included the same services as the full one.