Proposal to amend health insurance legislation in Greenland to clarify reimbursement rules

During the current parliamentary session, a proposal is planned to amend the health insurance legislation regarding the reimbursement of collected health insurance fees.

Specific rules for reimbursements are necessary because it is difficult to ascertain who is eligible for waiving health insurance fees without proper documentation. This was stated by Margit Stórá, the Minister of Health, in response to Jacob Vestergaard, a member of the parliament.

The health insurance system does not know who is entitled to a reimbursement. It requires individuals to inform the relevant authorities of their employment abroad and whether social security contributions were paid there.

Vestergaard also inquired why the collection of health insurance fees from expatriates continues.

Margit Stórá responded that the tax authority, TAKS, has indicated it cannot cease collections until it has been informed of who qualifies for an exemption. TAKS is also unable to refund any paid health insurance fees until it knows which individual is due for reimbursement and for what time period.

Health insurance received the authority on July 1 to grant exemptions from the fee obligation when applied for, referring to the Nordic Agreement on Social Security. The exemption can be provided starting in 2024 and onwards.