Faroese health scheme gets no reimbursement from Norway

The Faroese health insurance scheme, Heilsutrygd, receives no reimbursement from Norway’s social security agency, NAV, for care it provides to people who contribute to NAV but not to Heilsutrygd, public broadcaster KVF reports.

There is no agreement with NAV on reimbursement. People who pay health contributions in another Nordic country can apply to be exempt from paying Heilsutrygd contributions, but the law does not say they lose their right to benefits from the scheme.

That was stated by Health Minister Eyðdis Hartmann Niclasen in a reply to MP Ruth Vang. People living in the Faroe Islands who are exempt from Heilsutrygd contributions under the Nordic Convention on Social Security therefore retain their right to benefits under Faroese law.

Niclasen said the general rule under the convention is that Nordic countries waive the right to claim reimbursement from one another. However, countries can make agreements to reimburse expenses for services.