In 2017, other European countries health care providers presented medical bills to Estonian Health Insurance Fund of up to 7 million EUR for Estonian travellers, workers or pensioners staying temporarly or living for longer and who had used health care services in that country, which is almost 2% less than a year before.
It is a cost that does not include scheduled treatment, or medical bills submitted under the "Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare", which, in addition to the aforementioned 7 million, is another 7 million EUR.
Health insured in Estonia, used health care services in 30 European countries. If in 2015 and 2016 most of the health care services were used in Germany, then in 2017 most medical bills were submitted from Finland.
In Estonia, around 7,000 people from Europe in a year used the health care services, and this number has remained stable over the last three years. Most (over four thousand) of these people came from Finland.
Both foreign men and women used the most general surgical service in Estonia. Followed by orthopedics and internal medicine services. Other European countries' insured persons are mainly provided with outpatient services in central and regional hospitals.
Data is published in Health Statistics and Health Research Database.