Health Care in Denmark

Hi Ankit (:

I'm Danish, so you can trust me on this.
If you're from the EU, you get exactly the same health care as the Danes. I'm pretty sure it's the same for people coming from outside of the EU. When you come from an EU-country you simply go to the town hall and tell them that you now live in Denmark (the difference for you would probably be that they wouldn't wait for you to go to the town hall, but have you started with this right away), you give them your address, and they start registering you, after about 2 weeks, you get a CPR-number (that's your social security), and the social security card, it's yellow and in Danish called "Sundhedskort". This gives you the right to be treated like a Dane in the health care system. When you get this card, you've been registered as living in Denmark, and as paying taxes. -the Danish Tax office called "SKAT" will have contacted you by then, asking how much you will earn within the year, so they can calculate how much you have to pay in taxes. The average percentage is about 38%-40%, and the 9% in Labor Contribution.

So, what does it mean that you'll be treated like a Dane by the health care system? Going to the doctor is free, so is the hospital. Any kind of surgery operation (apart from some plastic surgeries) is free. The medicin you recieve while hospitalized will be free. Perscription drugs are not free, but a percentage is paid by the state (don't know the exact number, sorry). If you have any medical conditions you can join the health insurance "Danmark" sygeforsikring.dk/Default.aspx?ID=33. Most specialists are free. Some partially. If your doctor says you NEED to go to a chiropractor, the state will pay more than they already do, and so on. Same with eye doctors, it costs to buy glasses, but if you'd be completely blind without, the state will pay a lot of it.

I hope this helped a bit. If anything, I think the link above says quite a bit about the differences between normal health care, and health insurance. Normally, only people that have cronic diseases join a health insurance in Denmark.

Take care

tiiiiiiiina wrote:

Hi Ankit (:

I'm Danish, so you can trust me on this.
If you're from the EU, you get exactly the same health care as the Danes. I'm pretty sure it's the same for people coming from outside of the EU. When you come from an EU-country you simply go to the town hall and tell them that you now live in Denmark (the difference for you would probably be that they wouldn't wait for you to go to the town hall, but have you started with this right away), you give them your address, and they start registering you, after about 2 weeks, you get a CPR-number (that's your social security), and the social security card, it's yellow and in Danish called "Sundhedskort". This gives you the right to be treated like a Dane in the health care system. When you get this card, you've been registered as living in Denmark, and as paying taxes. -the Danish Tax office called "SKAT" will have contacted you by then, asking how much you will earn within the year, so they can calculate how much you have to pay in taxes. The average percentage is about 38%-40%, and the 9% in Labor Contribution.

So, what does it mean that you'll be treated like a Dane by the health care system? Going to the doctor is free, so is the hospital. Any kind of surgery operation (apart from some plastic surgeries) is free. The medicin you recieve while hospitalized will be free. Perscription drugs are not free, but a percentage is paid by the state (don't know the exact number, sorry). If you have any medical conditions you can join the health insurance "Danmark" sygeforsikring.dk/Default.aspx?ID=33. Most specialists are free. Some partially. If your doctor says you NEED to go to a chiropractor, the state will pay more than they already do, and so on. Same with eye doctors, it costs to buy glasses, but if you'd be completely blind without, the state will pay a lot of it.

I hope this helped a bit. If anything, I think the link above says quite a bit about the differences between normal health care, and health insurance. Normally, only people that have cronic diseases join a health insurance in Denmark.

Take care

Tina, your information is correct. But I would like to add one thing. In order to get access to a doctor (in a non life threatening situation) you need a sygesikringskort. But you need to meet certain (and strict) requirements to get one. A person can't just walk up to the Borgerservice and get a CPR number without an 'acceptable' reason for being in Denmark. Even if they're an EU citizen

Hi Tina and Hygee,

I am doing a comparative study on health care in major countries. I thank you for your inputs. Your health care system is pretty impressive.

Surprised to know that Danes end up paying upto 59% in taxes. With 41% disposable income and high cost of living, does it still make Danes happiest people on earth ? I think the survey has brought lots of attention on Denmark.


Regards

Ankit

Well you don't enter the Danish health care system if you don't get a residence permit first - and you don't get it like this if you don't have a job. But that's another story.

A couple of things important to mention: you have your own GP, he will never show up at your home, if you're not dying you'll probably only get a phone consultation, and that is only between 8 and 9 AM, on weekdays, if you want to visit your GP you generally wait a week, hospitals are free but that means you wait months before you get in, which creates a two-speeds health care system with private insurances popping-up and giving you immediate treatment in private hospitals.

So I don't want to say the system is bad, but maybe not as good and "impressive" as you might have understood from Tina and Hygee. Sorry to come with the negative point of view - but all the good part of it has been said already

HyggeTime wrote:

But you need to meet certain (and strict) requirements to get one. A person can't just walk up to the Borgerservice and get a CPR number without an 'acceptable' reason for being in Denmark. Even if they're an EU citizen

What? I lived in Paris with my Swedish boyfriend till we desided to move to Denmark (his first time moving to Denamrk), and we literally just walked in to the town hall and said 'hi, he just moved here so..' and she gave us a paper to fill out, which was only like, 'last address in France' 'new address in Denmark' and so..
hmm, I'm just remembering something.. oh that's right, that's because of this Nothern Agreement between the Scandinavian countries.. dammit, sorry guys, I made it sound all easy and stuff. Anyhow, if any Scandinavians have been reading this, I'm glad I could help, heh (:

tiiiiiiiina wrote:

HyggeTime wrote:

But you need to meet certain (and strict) requirements to get one. A person can't just walk up to the Borgerservice and get a CPR number without an 'acceptable' reason for being in Denmark. Even if they're an EU citizen

What? I lived in Paris with my Swedish boyfriend till we desided to move to Denmark (his first time moving to Denamrk), and we literally just walked in to the town hall and said 'hi, he just moved here so..' and she gave us a paper to fill out, which was only like, 'last address in France' 'new address in Denmark' and so..
hmm, I'm just remembering something.. oh that's right, that's because of this Nothern Agreement between the Scandinavian countries.. dammit, sorry guys, I made it sound all easy and stuff. Anyhow, if any Scandinavians have been reading this, I'm glad I could help, heh (:

Yup. From what I understand it is incredibly easy for a citizen of a Nordic country to register in another Nordic country. For the rest of us Europeans, however, it is very difficult!

@ HyggeTime: once again.. sorryyy
but welcome to Denmark anyhow and, I'm glad you made it through the system