According to statistics from the Estonian Insurance Association (EKsL), Estonian insurers reimbursed EUR 14 million in employer health insurance costs last year, which is a record amount since the introduction of the tax benefit for employers in 2018, the Association said.

Last year, 1,484 employers insured 60,530 employees. Andres Piirsalu, a member of the EKsL board, believes that employer health insurance has been growing steadily, but there is still plenty of room for development. “While in Estonia, 9% of employees had employer health insurance at the end of last year, in Latvia, approximately half of all employees, or 450 thousand, are covered by employer health insurance. In Latvia, an employer can contribute up to EUR 750 per year tax-free to an employee's health, while in our country this amount has remained at EUR 400 since 2018", noted Andres Piirsalu.

In 2024, the number of companies that purchased employer health insurance increased by 11%, and the number of insured employees increased by 9% y-o-y.

According to Merko Kimsto, CEO of Compensa Elukindlustus, the tax-free rate of health promotion expenditure of EUR 400 should be increased. “The tax exemption level has remained unchanged for over six years, but during this time prices of healthcare services have increased significantly. For example, in 2018, an appointment at West Tallinn Central Hospital cost EUR 45, while now this amount has increased to EUR 85. With the EUR 400 rate, the state is limiting the ability of employers to make annual contributions to their employees’ health”, said Kimsto.

There are seven insurers that offer employer health insurance on the Estonian insurance market: BTA, Compensa Elukindlustus, ERGO, If Kindlustus, LHV Kindlustus, PZU and Seesam.