Andorra Approves 2026 CASS Health Fee Hikes, Primary Care Up 5.4%

The Andorran government has approved a decree updating CASS responsibility fees for 2026, with primary care physician visits rising by 5.4%—double the 2.7% IPC rate—while patients will pay an extra 40 cents per preferred pathway consultation, increasing from €7.38 to €7.78.

The Council of Ministers passed the measure on Wednesday, as announced by government spokesperson Guillem Casal and Health Minister Helena Mas. The total fee for these visits, covered under a third-party payer system where patients bear 25% of the cost, moves from €29.51 to €31.10. Officials described the changes as balancing system sustainability, user accessibility, and fair provider remuneration, with primary care hikes aimed at bolstering the role of referent physicians at the base of the care pyramid.

Most other medical, dental, and health services, along with socio-health centre fees, meals, accommodation, and transport-related charges, receive the standard 2.7% IPC-linked adjustment. Taxi supplement rates in Pas de la Casa (zone 3) now apply three times instead of twice, though users face no extra cost as the service is fully funded. Fees tied to public tenders, such as sanitary transport or SAAS services, remain unchanged, as do those for diagnostic tests like CT scans, MRIs, and clinical analyses, which authorities deem appropriately set.

In response, the College of Physicians clarified that broader revisions to diagnostic (letter K) and surgical (letter Q) procedure fees continue in parallel, but require first modernising the full catalogue of therapeutic and diagnostic services. College representatives noted they have submitted proposals within an overall fee update for all qualified health professions, as part of efforts to attract staff amid shortages. They distinguished these targeted updates from the IPC-linked rises, which also cover psychiatry, non-attended primary and specialist consultations, administrative data exchanges, home visits, and supplements for nights, on-call shifts, and deliveries.

Waiting lists show no major shifts, remaining stable compared to six months prior, with average delays of about six months in fields like neurology, rheumatology, and specific traumatology cases for certain joints. No significant rise in new patient intakes has occurred, the college added.