The population covered by private healthcare insurance in the A.C. of the Basque Country in 2004 came to 311,148, meaning a rise of 1.9% with regard to the previous year, according to EUSTAT data. This increase was due to collective insurance, which grew significantly over a six-year period (1999-2004) both as regards the number of those insured (41.3%) and the volume of premiums (123.2%).

By province, Bizkaia continued to have the greatest proportion of insured population, with 19.6%, followed by Álava (12.4%) and Gipuzkoa (7,8%).

The individual or family type of policy covered the highest number of people (49.9%), followed by collective insurance (aimed at companies or other specific groups) with 32.5% and public mutual societies (17.6%). However, as regards the previous year, the number of people insured by collective insurance grew considerably once more (11.4%), while numbers fell for the individual or family type of policy and for public mutual societies (-2.1% in both cases).

The vast majority of policy holders (98%) still preferred private medical insurance with general healthcare coverage (primary and ambulatory care and hospitalisation), rather than other specific care (such as dental insurance).

The total value of premiums collected by the insurance health care sector in 2004 came to 158.5 million euros, representing approximately 4.5% of the State total and 0.3% of the GDP of the A.C. of the Basque Country. In relation to 2003, the volume of premiums grew by 7.1%, below the growth level experienced in the rest of the State (9.9%).

The average premium per policy holder for the A.C. of the Basque Country as a whole was 510 euros, lower than that registered in the State (515 euros), largely regardless of the type of policy. Compared to the previous year, the average premium grew by 5.2%, while in the rest of the State it did so by 4.6%.

People with medical healthcare insurance made a total of 1,182,157 medical visits charged to the insurance companies (4.5% more than in 2003), making an average of 3.8 visits per policy holder. The specialists in greatest demand were in orthopaedics, obstetrics, paediatrics and ophthalmology, while there was a proportional increase with regard to the previous year in general medicine and rehabilitation, with 27.2% and 21.8% respectively.

As for hospital care, patients coming from medical insurers gave rise to a total of 46,922 hospital admissions, 8.6% more than 2003. Of this group of people, 68.6% underwent a surgical operation, with a total number of 32,185 operations (6.4% more than the previous year). The greatest number of hospital admissions involved the specialities of general surgery, orthopaedics and gynaecology.