🏥🛡️ Health and insurance: what your employer covers and what you pay for
Moving is an exciting time, not just because of the new housing and transport opportunities, but also because you get to understand your medical expenses. Check out the awesome chart below! It's got all the info you need on what's free and what's paid. There's also an interactive calculator for your monthly health budget with frikort modelling (annual co-payment limit). Plus, there's a section on the typical additional insurance provided by employers. All figures in the inserts are marked as DEMO — they can be replaced with your own in the admin panel.
🧾 What is free/paid (in brief)
● Family doctor (fastlege). Usually, a co-payment (egenandel) is charged for visits and basic services.
● Specialists/polyclinic. With a referral from a fastlege — usually a co-payment, some services may be free of charge.
● Hospitals/emergency care. Emergency cases are covered by the system; co-payments may apply according to current rules.
● Laboratory/diagnostics. Some services are subject to a co-payment, some are not; it depends on the indications and the route.
● Physiotherapy. With a referral — usually co-payment, without a referral — usually paid.
● Psychologist/psychotherapy. Public route — queues and co-payments; private — at your own expense or under voluntary medical insurance.
● Dentistry (adults). Mostly at your own expense; exceptions for medical reasons.
● Vaccinations according to the calendar. Usually covered by the system.
Children. For many services — discounts/free; check the route (school/clinic/dentistry).
| Service | Who pays | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Visit to GP (fastlege) | System + co-payment | Demo: co-payment adjustable in calculator |
| Specialist (with referral) | System + co-payment | Waiting times vary by region |
| Emergency / hospital | System (may include co-payment) | For urgent cases |
| Lab / diagnostics | System + co-payment | When prescribed |
| Physiotherapy (with referral) | Co-payment; rest covered | Without referral — private cost |
| Psychologist (public) | Co-payment / waiting list | Private = out-of-pocket / insurance |
| Dental care (adults) | You | Exceptions for certain diagnoses |
| Vaccinations (calendar) | System | Scheduled vaccines |
| Glasses / lenses | You | Except in special cases |
💳 Franchises and limits (egenandel and frikort)
● Egenandel is your co-payment for a range of services (visits, tests, etc.).
● Frikort — when the total amount of these co-payments reaches a threshold limit during the year, further "supported" services until the end of the year become free of charge (according to this scheme).
● Important: not everything is included in the limit. For example, adult dentistry, glasses, and many private services are usually not included.
Below is a calculator that helps you estimate your average monthly expenditure, taking into account the threshold and the impact of additional insurance provided by your employer.
🧰 Additional insurance from your employer: how it helps your budget
● "Treatment" (behandlingsforsikring). Speeds up access to doctors/diagnostics and often covers physiotherapy and some private appointments. Does not replace emergency care and does not cover everything; limits and expectations depend on the policy.
● Accident/disability/life. A financial cushion in case of injury, disability or loss of working capacity. In your daily budget, this is a premium that is sometimes paid by your employer.
● Travel. Covers travel risks; if your employer pays for an annual policy, you can exclude this item from your personal budget.
● Dentistry/mental health. Sometimes available as additional packages; check the terms and conditions: limits, list of services, additional payments.
Practically everything in these policies is "subject to the terms of the contract." Always check what exactly is covered, the limits, and how to submit a claim.
| Item | Formula | NOK/month | Note |
|---|
All values are DEMO. Adjust your own frequencies/prices; rules may change.
This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal or financial advice. The rules, limits and conditions of insurance programmes change over the years and depend on the policy and region. All inserts contain DEMO values for layout purposes: substitute the actual figures and check the details according to your contract and service route.
FAQ
Fastlege is your family doctor. After registering at your place of residence, you will be assigned a doctor; appointments are usually made by phone or via the clinic's online portal. At the start, set aside a co-payment for the visit and any tests.
A co-payment is the portion you pay for services covered by the system. It accumulates throughout the year and goes into the frikort "piggy bank". Full payment is for services outside the co-payment scheme (e.g. adult dentistry, opticians, private consultations without a referral).
It is an annual limit on the amount of co-payments. Once you reach it, you stop paying co-payments for "supported" services until the end of the year. The limit itself changes from year to year — in the calculator, it is adjusted according to the current rules.
Consider it separately from co-payments: visits for adults are more often outside of frikort. It is convenient to spread large expenses (e.g., treatment/crowns) into monthly amortisation to see the average bill.
Many tests and procedures in the "public route" are considered co-payments and accumulate towards frikort, but the specific set depends on the referral and type of service. In our calculator, this is marked with check marks — include only what is actually taken into account.
Some policies cover a limited number of sessions with a private specialist. The conditions vary greatly: the limit on sessions, the amount of coverage, and the need for a referral. Check your contract — it specifies the details.
Most often, yes: "treatment" and "travel" are different products. If your employer pays for an annual travel insurance policy, you can remove this line item from your personal budget; if not, set aside a small monthly premium.
Some children's services are covered by the system or come with benefits, but dentistry, glasses and private activities will still require a budget. In the calculator, simply increase the frequency of visits and add the cost of optics/braces if necessary.
