The Organisation

The purpose of health insurance in Estonia is to cover the costs of health services provided to insured persons, prevent and cure diseases, finance the purchase of medicinal products and partly certain medical technical aids and provide temporary incapacity benefit and other benefits.  Our goal is to provide health insurance that helps people maintain their health and solve their health problems. In order to achieve that we are increasingly advocating for disease prevention, health promotion and e-health development. 

The main task of the Health Insurance Fund is to organize national health insurance to provide insured people with access to necessary healthcare services, medicines, medical equipment and cash benefits.

The mission of the Health Insurance Fund is to ensure insured people the availability of health insurance benefits.

The vision of the Health Insurance Fund is to create a sense of security for members of society when they face health problems and seek medical care, so as to increase the number of healthy life years.

The Estonian health care system is based on solidarity or unified health insurance. This makes it possible to provide the same quality medical care to all insured people.

 The Health Insurance Fund is guided by two principles when organizing health insurance:

• Solidarity - Currently employed insured persons cover the costs of health insurance for those currently unemployed. It means solidarity between generations - the cost of health care for children, students and pensioners is fully covered by those currently employed. It also means solidarity between employed persons whose financial contribution to the health insurance depends on their income, not on their personal health risks, and who receive health insurance benefits on an equal basis, regardless of the size of their financial contribution.
• Equal treatment - We guarantee equal rights and equal treatment for all insured persons and partners in accordance with applicable legislation.

The Estonian health insurance system complies with internationally approved principles:

• As much of the population as possible must be covered with health insurance.
• The scope of health insurance must be as wide as possible, i.e. based on the principle of solidarity, health insurance must offer a package of health services that is as comprehensive, coherent and modern as possible.
• Health insurance must be as far-reaching as possible, i.e. the out-of-pocket expenses of a person in the total cost of treatment must be optimal and should not lead to poverty risk.

Strategic goals of the Health Insurance Fund until 2025:

• Health journey - people can better take care of their health.

• Treatment journey - necessary treatment is accessible to people through a rational selection of services.

• Digital journey - automation of health-related services provides people with additional time.

• The Health Insurance Fund is an esteemed service-based health insurance organization.

The objectives, functions, competence, bases for activities and the bodies of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund are provided by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund Act and the Articles of Association of the Health Insurance Fund.

The supreme body of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund is the Supervisory Board, the members of which represent the interests of employers, insured persons and the state.

The Health Insurance Fund is led by Management Board, which is chaired by Rain Laane since 16.10.2017.