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The Latvian parliament last year passed the Healthcare Financing Law under which uninsured persons would only get the government-funded healthcare minimum comprising emergency medical assistance, obstetrician's services, family physician's services and treatment of diseases that pose threat to public health, such as mental disorders and tuberculosis. To get the full basket of the government-paid health care services, patients will have to have health insurance.

Everyone employed legally and certain social groups such as pensioners, children, the disabled, the registered jobless etc. would get their health insurance automatically.

People who are not making the state social insurance contributions, will have to pay EUR 51.60 or 1% of the minimum wage in 2018, 3% or EUR 154.8 in 2019, and 5% or EUR 258 in 2020 in order to become entitled to the full basket of the government-paid health care services in the respective calendar year. The payment has to be made once a year.

Chief Ombudsman Juris Jansons has already critized the plan.

The payments can be made starting from September 1, 2018, and that is also the time when the regulations take force. The health insurance payments will be administered by the National Health Service.