Guðlaugur Þór condemns sharp rise in patient fees

According to mbl.is, Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson has strongly criticised increases in patient fees, calling them part of extensive tax increases introduced by the government.

In an article published in Morgunblaðið, he particularly highlighted that the new fees did not take effect until 1 September, after the referendum.

The standard fee for a visit to a healthcare centre doubled from 500 Icelandic krónur to 1,000. The fee for visits outside working hours rose from 3,100 to 3,500 krónur, while the fee for a doctor’s visit during working hours increased from 3,400 to 3,800 krónur.

Guðlaugur Þór said patient fees had been systematically reduced over the past decade, but that the government had now changed course.

He said tax increases resulting from the 2026 tax system changes amounted to 23.1 billion krónur. Including adjustments to fixed-amount taxes in line with inflation and increased patient cost-sharing, the estimated impact this year was 26.4 billion krónur. With planned tax increases next year, the total increase over the two years would reach 60 billion krónur, he said.