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Many Finns Pay Out-of-Pocket for Private Healthcare

Nearly 50 percent of Finns opt for private health and dental care even though the services are not covered by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela).

Kelan logo.
Image: YLE / Uutisgrafiikka

Meanwhile, 13 percent of respondents said that compensations from the government agency played no factor in their choice of care, according to a study carried out by Kela.

Ulla Tuominen, a Kela researcher, says many people prefer to go private because the service is much faster. Follow-up care and the professional skills of private healthcare workers were also cited as reasons for paying for private care.

This autumn, Kela carried out an online survey to determine Finns’ attitudes towards healthcare compensation by the institution. A total of 884 people responded to the survey. The majority of the respondents were women.

Sources: YLE