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Health insurance

What am I covered for?

Health insurance

The Danish health insurance system can be split between public and private policies. It is also possible to obtain supplementary private health insurance to cover any treatment that is not covered under your public insurance policy.

Public health insurance

All residents in Denmark are entitled to health insurance services and hospital treatment covered by public health insurance. Such services include consultation and treatment from a General Practitioner (GP), as well as subsidised rates for dental care, chiropractic treatment and medication. The Danish public health insurance system also covers specialist consultation, physiotherapy, podiatry and psychological consultation as long as you have been referred by your GP.

Citizens must choose between two groups within the public health insurance scheme:

Group 1: Free consultation with your chosen GP or a specialist upon referral. Treatment from dentists, podiatrists, psychologists and physiotherapists are available at a subsidised rate.

Group 2: You will have to pay a higher rate of contribution. However you are free to choose a different GP each time you need to consult a doctor, rather than keeping the same GP as in group 1. You are also free to consult a specialist without having been referred by a GP. Fees are subsidised at the same rate as group 1. Treatment from dentists, podiatrists, psychologists and physiotherapists are available under the same conditions as in group 1.

Who is covered by public health insurance in Denmark?

Citizens of Nordic countries as well as UK citizens are covered by the Danish public health insurance scheme upon arrival in Denmark. EU/EEA nationals must have been covered by the public health insurance scheme in their respective country in order to be covered in Denmark, and the E104 form must be presented when registering with the Danish authorities.

All other nationals, as well as newcomers who either had private health insurance or were not covered by public health insurance in their home country are not covered by the Danish public health insurance scheme until six weeks after they have registered. Any medical treatment required within this initial six-week period must be paid for independently, so it is probably worth taking out a short-term private insurance policy in the meantime.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

Citizens of the EU who have a valid EHIC card are covered for most medical treatment in Denmark, though not for non-emergencies or emergency repatriation home.

The many forms that you used to need to cover you for health insurance within the EU have been replaced by the EHIC card. However if you are staying in Denmark for more than a year, you will need to have the E106 form as well as your EHIC card.

Private health insurance in Denmark

It is not unusual for foreigners to take out additional private insurance to supplement their automatic entitlement to the Danish public health insurance scheme. Private health insurance policies cover medical costs that are not covered by the public scheme, as well as subsidising fees at private hospitals and clinics. Some employers in Denmark also take out private health insurance policies for their employees.

For more up-to-date information regarding expat health insurance and related issues, visit our expat health blog at ExpatHealth.org .

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