Cutting Kela reimbursements for private healthcare
Act amending chapters 2 and 3 of the Health Insurance Act
Kela reimbursements for private medical care will be cut significantly from the beginning of 2023. Reimbursements for most examinations, procedures and physiotherapy will be abolished, but reimbursements for mental health services and dental care will be retained.
- Status
- Passed
- Submitted
- 20 Oct 2022
- Latest event
- 13 Dec 2022
- Votes
- 1
- Speeches
- 14
- Confirmed
- 20 Dec 2022
- Statute
- 1168/2022
- Source
- eduskunta.fi ↗
What is proposed
Reimbursements for examination and treatment procedures in private healthcare (such as physiotherapy, light therapy and most laboratory and imaging examinations) will be abolished, and doctor's visits will be reimbursed at a uniform general rate instead of specialist rates. However, reimbursements will be retained for psychiatric care and oral healthcare, as well as for examinations by a psychologist. In addition, reimbursements under national law for medical care provided outside the EU and EEA will be discontinued.
What it means
The change will cut health insurance reimbursement expenditure by 64 million euros from 1 January 2023, and funds from the savings will be directed towards funding wellbeing services counties, including the implementation of the staffing ratio in care for older people. The out-of-pocket share paid by patients using private doctor, examination and physiotherapy services will increase, and travel reimbursements for treatments that are no longer eligible for reimbursement will also be discontinued. The changes will also affect private healthcare companies, sickness funds and benefits processing at Kela.
How Parliament voted
2nd reading · 8 Dec 2022Parliament passed the act by 98–72.
Government yes, opposition no. 29 MPs were absent. Minutes ↗
Filled dot = yes, ring = no, grey = absent. The seating plan at the time of this vote is not archived, so MPs are grouped by party in indicative seats.
A passed act does not enter into force immediately: the President of the Republic confirms it, and it enters into force on the date set in the act. This act was confirmed on 20 Dec 2022.
Debate in the chamber
What was argued and where each group stood, followed by MPs' speeches verbatim from the parliamentary record. Speeches are shown in their original language.
14 speeches · 12 speakers · 2 debates
Key points of the debate
The debate focused on cutting Kela reimbursements for private medical care and reallocating the released funds to finance public healthcare and services for older people. The proposal was highly controversial and divided Parliament between the Government and the opposition. The opposition called for the rejection of the bill, fearing that it would worsen waiting lists and place an additional strain on an already struggling public healthcare system.
- Will cutting Kela reimbursements further congest public healthcare?
- Should Kela reimbursements be increased rather than cut to clear the care backlog?
- Will transferring funds to the public sector improve equality in healthcare?
- Left AllianceIn favour
The group defended the cuts, as the resulting savings will be transferred to strengthen funding for wellbeing services counties and services for older people. A strong public healthcare system was considered a more equal solution than retaining small Kela reimbursements.
”Pienituloisten ja myös terveydellisen tasa-arvon kannalta on olennaista, että julkinen terveydenhuolto ja hoitoonpääsy siellä saadaan kuntoon.”
— Hanna Sarkkinen - National Coalition PartyAgainst
The group demanded the rejection of the proposal, arguing that weakening Kela reimbursements will lengthen waiting lists and worsen staff shortages in the public sector. Because of the care backlog, reimbursements should have been increased instead.
”Esitän, että lakiesitys hylätään.”
— Terhi Koulumies - Finns PartyAgainst
The group moved to reject the bill, viewing it as an ideological measure that will weaken access to care and place an even heavier burden on a healthcare system already in crisis.
”Teen vastalauseen 1 mukaisen hylkäysesityksen tälle laille.”
— Mari Rantanen - Christian DemocratsAgainst
The group opposed the cuts and considered them senseless, as they will weaken access to care for low-income earners and shift patients to an already overburdened public healthcare system. The savings were seen as likely to turn into additional costs.
”Kela-korvausten romuttaminen on niin palvelujen käyttäjien kuin julkisen talouden kannalta järjetöntä.”
— Päivi Räsänen
This digest was generated by AI from 14 speeches 13 Sep 2026. Group positions are read from the speeches, not from votes; quotations were checked verbatim against the record.
Keskustelu päättyi. Asia lähetettiin sosiaali- ja terveysvaliokuntaan.
Keskustelu päättyi ja asian käsittely keskeytettiin.
Stages of consideration
The bill's path from the preliminary debate to the decision, as recorded by Parliament.
- 20 Oct 2022Eduskuntakäsittelyn vireilletulo · Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö
- 26 Oct 2022Lähetekeskustelu · Täysistunto
- 29 Nov 2022Valiokunnan mietintö tai lausunto · sosiaali- ja terveysvaliokunta
- 1 Dec 2022Ensimmäinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 9 Dec 2022Toinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 12 Dec 2022Eduskunnan vastaus ja kirjelmä
Decisions by law proposal1
- 1Laki sairausvakuutuslain 2 ja 3 luvun muuttamisestaHyväksytty · 1168/2022 · 20 Dec 2022
Proposed law text
The law proposals in the bill as the Government presented them. The final act may differ after committee consideration.
The law text is shown in Finnish or Swedish from Parliament's official documents; it is not translated into English.
Laki sairausvakuutuslain 2 ja 3 luvun muuttamisesta
Eduskunnan päätöksen mukaisesti kumotaan sairausvakuutuslain (1224/2004) 2 luvun 6 §, sellaisena kuin se on laissa 1203/2013, ja muutetaan 3 luvun 3 § ja 4 §:n 2 momentti seuraavasti:
3 luku – Hoito- ja tutkimuskorvaukset
3 §Lääkärin ja hammaslääkärin määräämä tutkimus ja hoito
Psykiatrian tai suu- ja leukakirurgian erikoislääkärin ja hammaslääkärin määräämä tutkimus- ja hoitotoimenpide korvataan, kun tutkimuksen on suorittanut tai hoidon on antanut tässä laissa tarkoitettu muu terveydenhuollon ammattihenkilö tai kun toimenpide on tehty yksityisestä terveydenhuollosta annetussa laissa (152/1990) tarkoitetussa yksityisen terveydenhuollon toimintayksikössä. Psykologin tutkimus korvataan, kun kysymyksessä on lääkärin määräämä vakuutetun muuhun tutkimukseen tai hoitoon liittyvä tutkimus.
4 §Lääkärin- ja hammaslääkärinpalkkiosta korvattava osuus
Korvaus maksetaan erikoistaksan perusteella, kun hoidon on antanut psykiatrian erikoislääkäri tai erikoishammaslääkäri ja annettu hoito on kuulunut hänen erikoisalaansa. Muuten korvaus maksetaan yleistaksan perusteella.
§
Tämä laki tulee voimaan päivänä kuuta 20 .
Main content of the bill (official)
The summary and title were produced with AI on 2 Sep 2026. They are not official documents – check the details in the original bill. The title and summaries are machine translations of the Finnish AI summaries. Speeches and quotations are always shown in their original language.