Portuguese Insurance Regulator publishes third population survey finding 88% coverage for private emergency episodes and 86% for GP consultations under health insurance

The Portuguese Insurance Regulator (ASF), through the Health Insurance Observatory, published the results of its third population survey on Portugal’s health insurance market and consumer practices. The survey indicates that, for most respondents using private hospitals, clinics or doctors’ offices, health insurance covered a large share of spending, while overall coverage patterns and satisfaction were broadly unchanged from 2024. Coverage rates were highest for private emergency episodes (88%) and general and family medicine consultations (86%). Dental consultations had the lowest coverage (65%) despite being the most used service (71% of respondents had at least one visit), which the report links in some cases to policies operating via reimbursement of incurred expenses. The share of respondents with health insurance for less than one year rose slightly to 11% (up 1.5 percentage points). More than half reported benefiting from health insurance (33%), a complementary health subsystem (21%) or a health plan (14%); take-up remained associated with younger age, higher education and higher household net income. Difficulty accessing National Health Service care remained the main motivation for purchasing health insurance (36%); coverage extended to the household in 50% of cases, with costs paid by the individual or their household in 52% of cases and by employers in 39%. Where individuals or households paid, the average monthly amount was EUR 102 (including household cover), and satisfaction, overall quality and trust remained high at 8.0 out of 10. The survey was conducted in November to December 2025 with 800 residents aged 18 or over (margin of error 3.5 percentage points) using CATI telephone interviews.