– When I was 20, I lost my dad. I got a call that he had taken his own life. It came as a big shock, says Cecilie Storm. She received sick leave from the doctor. A few years later, the grandmother became seriously ill and died. Then Cecilie was unable to function at work either. Therefore, the doctor called her sick. – Both times I was away from work for around three weeks, says Storm. She never thought that this would become a problem for her later. Until one day. The day she contacted the insurance company. Cecilie herself works in the healthcare system. She wanted to review her insurance policies. She has life insurance through her job. But she thought it would be wise to take out private disability insurance. But was refused. Cecilie Storm was denied health insurance because she had been on sick leave when she was in mourning. Photo: Rosa Irén Villalobos / news – The reason was these sick reports. I was on sick leave on psychological grounds. Thus they thought I had a known mental illness. she says. Wanting a bereavement notice In Norway, bereavement is not a reason to get a sick leave in itself. The grief does not trigger the right to sick pay. But grief-related disorders do. This means that GPs must find alternative solutions. Around 10 per cent of everyone who loses a loved one develops a grief disorder. Many GPs use psychiatric diagnoses as justification, including acute stress disorder or feelings of depression. – I wish Norway could introduce a mourning notice, says Cecilie Storm. In Denmark, this was introduced in 2021. You can get a so-called bereavement leave for up to 26 weeks after losing someone close to you. Misinterpretation of diagnoses The General Practitioners’ Association states that GPs are concerned with helping patients who need it. And believe that insurance companies and banks misinterpret the diagnoses that GPs use for bereavement. – It is not the case that if you have received a diagnosis of depression, you have a greater risk of disability later in life, says Marte Kvittum Tangen. She is a leader in the Norwegian Association for General Medicine. Marte Kvittum Tangen is head of the Norwegian Association for General Medicine. Photo: www.sturlason.no / www.sturlason.no Tangen clarifies that the increased risk of disability is linked to the diagnosis of depression. – And that is something completely different. It is a misinterpretation by the insurance companies and the banks. She adds that all forms of reaction to grief must be looked at individually. – And then you have to make an assessment of the future risk of disability, says Tangen. No plans According to the Ministry of Labor and Inclusion, there are no plans to introduce bereavement notices in Norway. – In many collective agreements in Norway, you are entitled to a form of welfare leave if you lose someone close to you. The countries that have such a system have a much worse sickness benefit system in the first place, says State Secretary Thomas Norvoll (Ap). Thomas Norvoll (Ap), State Secretary in the Ministry of Labor and Inclusion. Photo: regjeringen.no This applies to both duration and how much you are paid. – So we can’t just pick elements from another country’s sickness benefit scheme and say that we have to introduce it here. Because we have a very good arrangement, says Norvoll. He nevertheless understands that people despair that they cannot take out insurance. – I understand very well that you react to being refused insurance because you have had a reaction to losing someone close to you. But this is beyond our control. The insurance companies must answer for this, says the state secretary. Do not comment Finans Norge is the interest organization for the insurance industry. They cannot comment on individual cases. – It is the insurance companies that process the individual cases based on their assessments and conditions, and each individual case is assessed individually, writes director of information Tom Staavi in an e-mail to news. Information director Tom Staavi at Finans Norge. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan The insurance companies can get help in making a decision at the Board for Health Assessment. The tribunal consists, among other things, of doctors who can help assess the health risk. Consumers can also complain to the Financial Complaints Board. It was KLP that refused Cecilie Storm insurance. The company can only comment on a general basis. KLP will not state how many applications they reject, but claims it is few. The company emphasizes several things when making an assessment. – All criteria are anchored in the industry organization Finans Norway’s board for health assessment. We distinguish between depression-like symptoms and depression in our assessment, says communications advisor Glenn Slydal Johansen. He points out that the diagnosis is less important if a person has been on sick leave for a long time. The same applies if the person is on sick leave around the time insurance is applied for. – If the sick report dates back a long time, we emphasize the type of diagnosis. Depression-like symptoms alone will not lead to a refusal of disability insurance. It is also possible to apply for insurance again a few years after the refusal.
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Denied health insurance after being in mourning – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
