The list of medical devices reimbursable by the Health Insurance Fund is supplemented by 118 titles.

At this week's meeting, the Supervisory Board of the Health Insurance Fund supported the year 2015 list of medical devices, which will be supplemented with 118 new devices to be compensated for to the insured. The impact of the devices added to the list to the Health Insurance Fund budget is nearly one million euro.

"Next year, the Health Insurance Fund plans to allocate on compensation for medical devices over € 9.9 million, which is 800 thousand euro more than this year," said the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Health Insurance Board, the Minister of Health and Labor, Urmas Kruuse. “Significantly will be increased the support for medical devices for diabetics. Next year medical devices for diabetics will be compensated for more than five million euro, and thanks to expanding of the compensation conditions of the daily needed medical devices and to increasing the limits, coping with their disease will improve even further,” the minister added.

On the list of medical devices were added a total of 118 new devices for the existing device groups, including blood glucose monitor test strips, insulin needles and lancets, stoma care appliances, orthopedic products, disposable bladder catheters, and CPAP device masks.

Thanks to the new price agreements, starting with the New Year the prices of several glucometer test strip packages, insulin needle packaging, wound bandages and one CPAP device used in sleep treatment will come down.

With the new approved list of Health Insurance Fund for medical devices, the conditions for compensation of the medical devices for diabetics will be extended and the amounts of the medical devices to be compensated insured. The impact of the devices added to the list to the Health Insurance Fund budget is nearly one million euro.

"Next year, the Health Insurance Fund plans to allocate on compensation for medical devices over € 9.9 million, which is 800 thousand euro more than this year," said the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Health Insurance Board, the Minister of Health and Labor, Urmas Kruuse. “Significantly will be increased the support for medical devices for diabetics. Next year medical devices for diabetics will be compensated for more than five million euro, and thanks to expanding of the compensation conditions of the daily needed medical devices and to increasing the limits, coping with their disease will improve even further,” the minister added.

On the list of medical devices were added a total of 118 new devices for the existing device groups, including blood glucose monitor test strips, insulin needles and lancets, stoma care appliances, orthopedic products, disposable bladder catheters, and CPAP device masks.

Thanks to the new price agreements, starting with the New Year the prices of several glucometer test strip packages, insulin needle packaging, wound bandages and one CPAP device used in sleep treatment will come down.

With the new approved list of Health Insurance Fund for medical devices, the conditions for compensation of the medical devices for diabetics will be extended and the amounts of the medical devices to be compensated for will be raised. Also, the availability of bladder catheters for the patients who need daily self-catheterization will be improved.

In the list of medical devices were also added two entirely new medical device groups - tracheal cannulas with the internal replaceable cannula and internal tracheal cannulas.

A medical device is an instrument, apparatus or appliance, also a material or other article, that the insured person can use independently as a regular user, and which is necessary for example to monitor, alleviate or treat the disease.

Changes were made in the list of medical devices based on the proposals submitted by the Health Insurance Fund and professional associations, with the price agreements concluded with manufacturers and the financial possibilities of the budget of the health insurance benefits of the Health Insurance Fund.

The Health Insurance Act allows the Estonian Health Insurance Fund to compensate for the medical devices necessary for the insured if they are included in the list of medical devices of the Health Insurance Fund. The list is established by the Minister of Health and Labor on the proposal of the Supervisory Board of the Health Insurance Fund.