Health Insurance Act

Ole Tang, GP

If you are in health insurance group 1, you can get free help from your GP under the Health Insurance Act. If you are in health insurance group 1, you can also receive free treatment from a specialist psychiatrist. You must contact your doctor first. You can also receive treatment as an admitted patient in the hospital service.

If you wish to be treated by a private psychologist, you will normally have to pay for the treatment yourself. The hourly rate for an authorised psychologist who specialises in psychotherapy is about DKK 650. (February 2004)

You can apply to your home municipality for help for psychological treatment under

• the Pension Act (Section 17 on personal supplements)
• the Active Act (Section 82 on the treatment of illness)
• Section 36 of the Integration Act

Your local authority will provide you with help based on a financial assessment of your ability to pay. If you disagree with your case worker as to whether you should receive financial support for psychological treatment, you should remember that you both have an interest in getting you healthy and back to work again.

When you go to a private psychologist, you should be aware that cognitive therapy is the best psychological treatment for depression. You should expect to have 12-20 sessions. Your GP can help you by recommending psychological treatment.