On September 1, two changes to the law regarding health insurance will come into force, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency announces.

The one change in the law concerns the sickness allowance.

After day 180 of the sick period, the sick person's ability to work must be assessed within a specified occupational group.

If Försäkringskassan does not grant sickness benefit, one or more occupational groups must be specified in which the insured person could manage to work.

For the unemployed, the new assessment applies from the first day of the sick period.

The rules are also changed for those with sickness benefit who are 60 years or older.

In that case, the ability to work must be assessed against normally occurring work that they have experience of in the last 15 years, or other suitable work that is available.

This is in contrast to today, when work ability is assessed against all jobs on the labor market.

The insured who has not worked in the last 15 years is assessed according to ordinary sickness benefit rules.