• A healthcare professional will fill out an application for you.  

• In the application, the healthcare professional justifies the need for the assistive device with a diagnosis, medical history, skills assessment and other information.  

• If an application is approved, you will receive a letter about it in the digital mailbox on My Pages.  

• Then you have the right to have the assistive device subsidized. 

• The companies that sell the assistive devices also see these rights.  

If there is a change in the medical condition/disability, a new review by a healthcare professional may be required. 

If satisfactory documentation is not received, processing is postponed, and the missing documents are requested. The case will be reopened when they are received.

Once the application has been approved, you will be told where you can pick up the device. If you offer to have the assistive device sent home, you do not pay for the delivery. 

Only available in Icelandic.

Health insurance contributes to the cost of buying orthopaedic shoes and shoe inserts. 

Health insurance pays the shoe company according to a fixed amount in regulation, and you pay the rest of the total cost.  

Approved shoe companies on the part of Iceland Health with the required specialists are: 

• Skósmiðurinn og Álfarnir ehf., Freyjanes 8, 603 Akureyri, tel. 461-1600 

• Stoð, prosthetics, Dragháls 14-16, 110 Reykjavík, tel. 565-2885 

• Stoðtækni Skósmiðja, Lækjargata 34A, 220 Hafnarfjörður, tel. 533-1314 

• ForMotion, Grjótháls 5, 110 Reykjavík, tel. 515-1300 

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Health insurance contributes to the cost of shoe inserts in the case of severe deformities of the feet. Insoles can either be ready-made or custom-made.  Health insurance pays 90% of the cost, but at a maximum: 

• 5.800 ISK for a ready-made insert (11.500 ISK for the pair)  

• 11.000 ISK for a custom-made insert (22.500 ISK for the pair). 

Orthopaedic shoes - ready

Payment participations are granted in the case of severe deformation of the legs. As a rule, one pair per year and two pairs per year are approved for growing and active individuals. 

The payment participation is 90% but up to a maximum of ISK 47,000. 

 and a grant is awarded for the elevation of ready-to-wear orthopaedic shoes (more than 2 cm). 

Orthopaedic shoes - semi-custom-made or custom-made 

In the case of severe deformation of the feet and standard orthopaedic shoes do not work, a grant is provided for custom-made shoes. As a rule, one pair per year and two pairs per year are approved for growing and active individuals. 

The payment participation is 90% but a maximum of ISK 99,000 for semi-custom-made shoes and ISK 210,000 for custom-made shoes. 

Elevation of shoes 

A grant may be approved for the elevation of shoes if there is a need for a height of two cm or more, the following are approved: 

• two elevations per year. 

• three raises per year for very active individuals. 

The grant amount is according to a price survey. 

Modifications to synthetic orthopaedic shoes  

Payment participations are 90%, but up to a maximum of ISK 33,000, when ready-made orthopaedic shoes are not enough without alterations.  

Changes to traditional shoes 

You never pay for the shoes themselves. The grant amount is 90% of the cost, but never more than ISK 33,000. 

Shoes of different sizes 

Health insurance pays 50% of the cost, but a maximum of ISK 17,000 for each pair of shoes.  

There must be at least a two-number difference in size for a grant to be awarded. 

The maximum payment is for 4 pairs of shoes per year so that there are two usable pairs of shoes. 

Repair of ready-made and custom-made orthopaedic shoes 

Repairs are paid if the wear and tear of shoes is due to a medical condition, for example in individuals with spastic gait due to cerebral palsy (CP). 

A maximum of four pairs of shoes are paid for per year. 

Payment participation is 90%, but a maximum of ISK 14,500 for ready-made orthopaedic shoes. But payment is made according to a cost estimate for custom-made shoes and 90% of that amount.

In general, the payment participation for prostheses is 100%. A maximum of one prosthesis together with the appropriate components, one hard sleeve and two soft sleeves per year are accepted. Active individuals are entitled to a prosthesis along with accessories for the exchange. 

Agreements are with: 

ForMotion ehf., Grjótháls 5, 110 Reykjavík, tel. 515-1300.  

Stoð hf., Trönuhraun 8, 220 Hafnarfjörður, tel. 565-2885. 

Repair of prosthetic limbs 

The first and second repairs per year per prosthesis are paid in full, while subsequent repairs are paid for 70%. 

Wigs, custom headwear and tattoos 

Health insurance includes the cost of buying wigs, custom headwear and eyebrow tattoos and/or a tattoo line around the eyes in the case of: 

• Permanent hair loss 

• Anaemia due to cancer treatment or endocrine therapy 

• Widespread chronic baldness (for more than a year) 

Health insurance pays up to ISK 188,000 in each 2-year period. 

Artificial breasts 

Health insurance contributes to the cost of buying artificial breasts/artificial breast wedges for mastectomy. 

• Mastectomy: two breasts in the first year and one per year thereafter 

• Mastectomy on both sides: four breasts in the first year and two in a year after that. 

Specially reinforced bras for breast reconstruction 

Health insurance contributes to the cost of buying reinforced bras for the reconstruction of the breast(s) after mastectomy. A grant is paid for a maximum of two bras. 

The grant amount is according to a price survey. 

Tattoos on the nipple and nipple 

Health insurance contributes to the cost of tattooing the nipple and/or nipple on the erect breast. 

The amount is ISK 30,000 and the grant is awarded every two years. 

Health insurance contributes to the cost of buying 3 pairs of compression stockings and 2 compression sleeves in each 12-month period. 

Pressure equipment is paid for: 

• Burns. 

• Chronic severe venous/lymphatic problems. 

• Chronic oedema accumulation due to paralysis. 

Health insurance pays: 

• General: 70%. 

• For children: 90%. 

• Due to burns: 100%. 

The payment participation for ready-made compression stockings is ISK 11,600 based on 100% payment participation but is a different proportion of that amount (90% ISK 10,450 and 70% ISK 8,150). 

Custom-made compression stockings are approved in the case of significant physical abnormalities due to disease, construction or accidents, and lymphedema, level I. The grant amount for such socks is double compared to ready-made compression stockings. 

Specially sewn compression stockings from flat suture are approved for users with confirmed lymphoedema stage II-III and the diagnosis shall be confirmed by a vascular surgeon after examination. The grant amount for such socks is based on the cost estimate at each time. 

Bite gums due to sleep apnea 

Health insurance pays 70% of the cost of bite gums due to sleep apnea, but up to a maximum of ISK 45,000.  

The results of the sleep measurement and where it was performed must accompany the grant application. The grant is awarded if respiratory events measure AHI 5 or more. 

The following persons are approved for sleep measurements: 

• Landspítali Fossvogur (pulmonary ward A6 and outpatient department A3) 

• Neskaupsstaður Hospital 

• Akureyri Hospital 

• Reykjalundur 

• Vestmannaeyjar Health Institute 

• Medical Centre 

Renewal is approved every 6 years. 

Inhalers 

• Health insurance pays 70% of the cost of inhalers.  

• Individuals pay for the replacement of accessories themselves, except if they have cystic fibrosis.  

• Health insurance pays 100% of the cost of devices and accessories for individuals with cystic fibrosis. 

Breathalyzers 

Breathalyzers (oxygen saturation meters) are generally only approved for children with severe heart and/or lung disease, so it is necessary to continuously monitor oxygen saturation to control oxygen delivery and/or respond to life-threatening situations as instructed by physicians. 

Ventilators 

Sleep apnea machines and ventilators are approved for individuals in private homes with severe respiratory diseases. The need for a ventilator is assessed by the A6 or A3 outpatient department at Landspítali University Hospital.  

• Phone: 543-6025. 

• Email: svefnhjukrun@landspitali.is. 

Oxygen Equipment 

A healthcare professional sends an application for oxygen directly to the oxygen service of Iceland Health, A3 at the Landspítali University Hospital, by phone 543-6049 or by e-mail: surefni@landspitali.is 

Travel Oxygen Filters

Travel oxygen filters are approved for individuals who are active and on the move a lot.  

The equipment is lighter than conventional oxygen cylinders and is therefore suitable for those who need to carry the equipment.  

Individuals in nursing homes are considered active if, for example, they are attending events outside the ward.