Luxembourg's public health insurance is a compulsory insurancefor all employees, self-employed professionals, farmers, andpensioners. It is financed through contributions of the insuredpeople, as well as by state taxes. Providers of health care aremainly private nonprofit institutions and self-employedprofessionals. All healthcare procedures are defined in feeschedules determined by a common decision of the Ministers of SocialSecurity and Health according to proposals of a board of experts. Therelative value of a service is also determined by the correspondingfee schedule. Hospitals are financed by individual budgetsnegotiated between each hospital and the health insurance. Thesehospital budgets do not cover services provided in hospitals bymedical specialists, who are reimbursed on a fee-for-service basis. Alaw on hospital planning and organization allows the government torestrict the installation in hospitals of very expensive equipment orof equipment for which there is only a limited need in Luxembourghospitals. Until recently there has been limited interest in or useof health technology assessment (HTA). However, large hospitalinvestments have provoked some interest in the last few years. TheMinistry of Health has asked for some HTA studies when a concretedecision had to be taken. Luxembourg decision makers have becomemore aware that HTA may help them to become more informed about theshort- and long-term consequences of the application of healthtechnology.