Nicosia: The average amount reimbursed per approved cross-border healthcare claim not requiring prior authorisation in Cyprus reached pound 7,889 in 2024, the highest among the countries for which relevant data are provided, according to a study published on Monday by the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS). The study, entitled 'Modernised rules on patients' rights in cross-border healthcare', examines the implementation of Directive 2011/24/EU and proposes options for improving patients' access to healthcare services in other Member States.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the average cost per approved claim not requiring prior authorisation in the EU stood at pound 1,351 in 2024, with significant differences between countries. The amounts ranged from pound 68 in Portugal to pound 7,889 in Cyprus, while 18 of the 24 countries that provided data were below the EU average. Cyprus is also among the countries that do not operate a prior authorisation system for cross-border healthcare. According to the study, Cyprus abolished the relevant system in 2018 following the adoption of new national legislation.
According to the 2024 data, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Norway also had no prior authorisation system in place. The study nevertheless notes low geographical coverage of Cyprus by the European Reference Networks, which connect specialised centres dealing with rare and complex diseases. Cyprus is listed, alongside Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, among the countries with lower coverage by these networks.
At EU level, the study finds that the legal framework for cross-border healthcare remains relevant, but that a significant gap persists between the rights provided for under EU law and patients' ability to exercise those rights in practice. According to the EPRS, cross-border healthcare remained broadly stable over the 2016-2024 period, at around 330,000 to 350,000 cases per year, excluding the pandemic period and taking into account limitations in the available data. This figure is significantly lower than the approximately 780,000 cases per year projected in the original 2008 impact assessment.