Are patient co-payments unlimited?
They are not — and this ceiling goes largely unused. The total of patient co-payments for outpatient and inpatient care in a calendar year may not exceed €569.15. Once you reach that sum, you are entitled to be exempted from further co-payments until the end of the year. But it does not happen automatically: you must go to a territorial branch of the health service with your payment documents and an application, to obtain a certificate of exemption. For scale: a visit to a GP for a person under 65 carries a co-payment of €2.
📋 The rules
- The annual ceiling: €569.15
- It covers outpatient and inpatient care
- On reaching it — exempt for the rest of the year
- The exemption is not automatic
- A GP visit under 65: €2
🔓 Exceptions
- Children, haemodialysis patients and those in palliative care are exempt
- So are emergency-care patients and residents of long-term social care
- Preventive check-ups and vaccination under the calendar are also exempt
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The commonest mistake is not keeping the receipts. To obtain the exemption you must produce the payment documents — so keep every receipt for a patient co-payment throughout the year. Without them the €569.15 ceiling is meaningless: the state does not add them up for you. And check whether you are in an exempt group. Exempt from co-payments are children, patients on chronic haemodialysis, those receiving emergency care, residents of long-term social care, those in palliative care, and people attending a preventive check-up or vaccination under the calendar. If that is you, do not pay — and say so at reception.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
What is the annual maximum?
Patient co-payments in a calendar year may not exceed €569.15 in total. Once you reach that sum you are entitled to exemption from further co-payments until the year ends.
Is the exemption granted automatically?
It is not. You must go to a territorial branch of the health service with your payment documents and an application, to obtain a certificate of exemption for the rest of the calendar year.
Why must I keep the receipts?
Because without payment documents you will not get the exemption — the state does not total your co-payments for you. Keep every receipt throughout the year.
Who is exempt from co-payments?
Children, chronic haemodialysis patients, emergency-care patients, residents of long-term social care, those in palliative care, and people attending preventive check-ups or vaccination.
What does a GP visit cost?
For a person under 65 the patient co-payment for a GP visit is two euros. For certain groups of the population no co-payment is due at all.
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