Compulsory and supplementary health insurance in the Republic of Croatia
In Croatia, all citizens are legally required to be included in the system of compulsory health insurance, administered by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO). This type of insurance provides access to basic healthcare services, but it does not cover all treatment costs. For this reason, many individuals choose to purchase supplementary health insurance to avoid co-payments for doctor visits, hospital stays, or prescribed medications.
Supplementary insurance is offered by the HZZO at a fixed price, and it is also available from other insurance providers, who often offer different packages and benefits.
Compulsory health insurance
Compulsory health insurance in Croatia is administered by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO). All persons with permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia, as well as foreign nationals with approved permanent or long-term residence, are required to be insured under one of the bases for compulsory insurance—unless otherwise provided for under EU regulations, international treaties, or specific national laws. Under the Croatian Compulsory Health Insurance Act (ZOZO), foreign nationals are also included in the system—this includes citizens of the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as nationals of countries with which Croatia has bilateral social security agreements. Additionally, third-country nationals with approved residence based on employment or self-employment in Croatia are also eligible, provided they meet all legal requirements regarding residence and work.
Rights under compulsory health insurance include both financial benefits and healthcare services. These services cover:
Primary healthcare, specialist-consultative healthcare, hospital care, medicines listed on the HZZO’s basic and supplementary drug lists, dental aids listed on the basic and supplementary dental aids lists, orthopaedic and other medical aids listed on the corresponding HZZO lists, medical treatment abroad under specific conditions.
Compulsory insurance also covers rights related to work injuries and occupational diseases.
Insured individuals are obligated to participate in the costs of healthcare services not fully covered by HZZO. The minimum co-payment is EUR 1,32, while the maximum co-payment per invoice cannot exceed EUR 530,88.
Supplementary health insurnace
To cover co-payment costs, individuals with regulated compulsory insurance through HZZO can enter into a supplementary health insurance agreement with the Fund. The cost of a HZZO supplementary insurance policy is EUR 111,49 per year or EUR 9,29 per month.
Rights under supplementary insurance are exercised when using healthcare services covered by compulsory health insurance, whether in public healthcare institutions or with private practitioners who have a contract with the HZZO. This also applies to other contracted entities, such as suppliers of orthopaedic aids and similar service providers. The purpose of supplementary insurance is to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients when using medical services not fully covered by compulsory insurance. It also includes coverage for medical treatment abroad, provided such treatment has been approved by the HZZO. However, supplementary insurance does not cover the costs of medicines listed on the HZZO’s supplementary drug list—this list is subject to change.
