Hundreds of thousands of unpaid hospital, health centre and social services bills were sent to debt collection agencies last year, affecting around 85,000 people, many of whom are seniors.
The biggest surge in unpaid bills in Finland last year were hospital and institutional payments, which accounted for a third of all such billings in 2020.
More than 650,000 unpaid bills were sent to collections in 2020, more than doubling compared to previous years. In 2010, social and health care fees accounted for less than 10 percent of bills in arrears while last year the proportion was 23 percent.
Seniors have hardest time
Retirees, whose often limited finances are already burdened by paying for medications and relatively high housing costs, were the recipients of the largest number of healthcare and social service bills.
After retirement, seniors face lower income levels, no longer have access to free occupational healthcare services and mounting costs for medication, leaving them particularly vulnerable to unplanned medical bills.
The median pension in Finland is 1,534 euros per month. However, a third of retirees earn less than 1,250 per month, according to data released by Statistics Finland.
However, because of Client Charges in Healthcare Act law reforms that go into effect next month, routine health care centre nurse visits will become free of charge throughout the country and there will be new price caps on the amount patients can be charged for dental care and mental health services.
Home care services fees will also become more balanced across the country's municipalities.
However, according to THL researcher Katja Ilmarinen, the reforms are not without shortcomings.
Ilmarinen told Yle that even though municipalities will be required to inform customers about possible exemptions in customer fees, clients may still have to apply for exemptions themselves.
"This is a generation that is often sparing and modest, and who rarely demand anything for themselves," said Ilmarinen. "Not enough is known about uncollectible Sote payments; the causes and prevention are not easy to address."
