Updated copayments under the SUT: New fees for outpatient visits and prescriptions in 2026

Key points for outpatient visit

- In primary care (e.g., family medicine), no copayment is charged for physician/dentist visits.
- Copayments are set at TRY 20 for visits in public hospitals and university hospitals, and TRY 60 for visits in private hospitals.
- When a patient is referred by a family physician to a higher level of care, the copayment is collected with a 50% discount.
- (With certain exceptions) if a patient applies to a different health facility in the same specialty within 10 days, an additional TRY 5 may be charged.

Key points for prescription medicines

-For outpatient prescriptions, copayments remain 10% for those receiving income/pension benefits, and 20% for other insured persons.
-Per prescription: TRY 3.76 for up to 3 boxes, plus TRY 1.25 for each additional box beyond three.

What does this mean from a health management perspective?

This update sends a clear signal about managing service flow across care levels. Keeping primary care visits free of charge and offering a discount for referred specialist visits aims to support more organized patient pathways and strengthen the referral mechanism. The additional fee for repeated applications to different facilities in the same specialty within a short period can be read as a demand-management measure intended to reduce unnecessary repeat visits and improve resource use.

For healthcare providers, the changes highlight the need for clear patient communication, streamlined collection processes, and more standardized appointment and referral guidance.