With the 1966 National Insurance Act these various arrangements were coordinated and strengthened. Every person living in Norway today has the right to social security benefits. The National Insurance Fund is financed through a special levy, which is paid by all employed persons as part of their general income tax. The benefits are of course available for those who are not employed as well. The primary health care services are organised by local authorities at municipal level, while hospitals are organised at county level.
Administrative responsibility entails financial responsibility.
The decision about how much of the local funds are to be spent on the health sector is left to the discretion of local politicians. Still, the Local Authority Health Care Act defines a number of services which are obligatory at local level. Central government funding of local health services is meant to secure that all parts of the population have access to services of equal quality, independently of the local budget. The size of governmental transfers depends among others on geography, population size and demographic structure. In reality it is not possible to compensate for all differences, and to provide total equality in the national health system.