Medical approval for painkillers or analgesics
In certain cases, the statutory health insurance provides reimbursements for some painkillers and analgesics. To receive this, you must request medical approval from the advising physician of your health insurance fund.
On this page
The conditions for medical approval
The reimbursement of these painkillers and analgesics is reserved for chronic pain patients. Chronic pain is defined as:
- Pain that persists for at least 3 months after optimal curative treatment (with healing as the goal).
- Pain that continues after curative treatment of a condition involving malignant chronic pain.
Examples of chronic pain include cancer pain, chronic arthritis/arthrosis pain, neurogenic or neuropathic pain of central or peripheral origin (such as MS), peripheral vascular pain, post‑surgical pain (including
Track the status of your medical approval in My Helan.
How does the application work?
Your treating physician completes a notification of chronic pain for the advising physician of your health insurance fund.
Submit the original application to the advising physician of the health insurance fund:
- Via the Helan office in your area.
- Or drop it in a Helan mailbox in your area.
- Or send it by post: Helan Health Insurance Fund, Medical Service – Boomsesteenweg 5, 2610 Wilrijk.
We process your application (administrative check) and forward it to the advising physician (medical check). This may take up to 3 weeks. Through the My Helan app (mobile) or via My Helan (desktop), you can view the current status of your medical approval at any time.
The advising physician of the health insurance fund reviews your application. If he or she approves the reimbursement, you will receive an ‘authorization’. If your application is refused, we will also inform you of this.
The reimbursement
With the medical approval, you are reimbursed 20% of the price of certain painkillers at the pharmacy. The remaining co-payment is eligible for the maximum billing system.
