Freedom of choice pilot for people over 65
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If you are 65 or older, you can see a private general practitioner at the price of the local user fee charged by public healthcare providers. This system is available from 1 September 2025 to 31 December 2027 as part of a pilot study on freedom of choice in healthcare for persons aged 65 or over.
Can you see a private general practitioner?
If you are 65 or older, you can see a private general practitioner during the pilot study at the price of the local user fee charged by public healthcare providers. Before you book an appointment, check that the doctor you have chosen is participating in the pilot study.
General practitioners treat a wide range of conditions. They will help you with problems such as back pain, trouble sleeping or high blood pressure.
Read our brochure on the pilot study for instructions and key information (PDF).
How many appointments does the pilot study include?
In 2025, you can book up to 2 appointments with a private general practitioner who is participating in the pilot study. In 2026 and 2027, you can book up to 3 appointments in each calendar year. One appointment covers seeing the doctor, the examinations and tests ordered by the doctor and the call you get from the doctor afterwards to discuss the results of the examinations or tests. After you have used up your pilot study appointments, you will have to pay the normal price for appointments at a private clinic. Alternatively, you can go to a health centre in your wellbeing services county for treatment.
Keep track of how many appointments you have used and how many you have left each year to avoid unexpected costs. You can also see this information in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish only), but it may be updated with a delay.
What examinations and tests are included in the pilot study?
The pilot study covers the most common laboratory tests and certain other examinations, such as ECGs and lung X-rays.
Check which examinations and tests are included in the pilot study (PDF).
The pilot study does not cover
- appointments with a specialist
- health checks for example for age-related reasons or to get a medical certificate for your driver’s licence
- services provided by a nurse.
The pilot study also does not cover all examinations and tests a doctor can order for you.
If a doctor orders an examination or test for you that is not included in the pilot study, you can ask if the examination or test can be done by a public service laboratory in your wellbeing services county.
How much do you have to pay for each appointment?
You can see a private general practitioner at the price of the local user fee charged by public healthcare providers for a set number of times in each year of the pilot study. The local user fee is EUR 28.20 or less in 2025. The appointments can be in-person appointments or remote video or phone appointments. You do not have to pay any separate service fees, administrative fees or other costs.
You will also have to pay half (50%) of the maximum price of any examinations or tests the doctor has ordered for you if they are included in the pilot study. If the examination or test costs less than the maximum price Kela has set for it, you will also pay a smaller price. The price of the appointment also includes the doctor contacting you to discuss the results of the examinations or tests the doctor has ordered for you. You do not have to pay a separate fee to have the doctor contact you to tell you the results. It will also not count as a new appointment or reduce the number of appointments available to you during the pilot study.
You can get treatment and undergo examinations and tests at the prices applied in the pilot study only if your chosen doctor is participating in the pilot study and the examinations have been prescribed during a doctor’s appointment that is part of the pilot study.
You cannot get any other reimbursements from Kela for the appointments included in the pilot study. After you have used up your pilot study appointments, you will have to pay the normal price for appointments with a private general practitioner and you will get a reimbursement from Kela. For example, Kela will reimburse you EUR 8 for a remote chat appointment and EUR 30 for an in-person appointment with a private general practitioner.
There is no maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket costs (vuosiomavastuu, maksukatto, annual out-of-pocket maximum) for the costs of private medical care. An annual out-of-pocket maximum does exist for the local user fees you pay for using public healthcare services in each calendar year, but the appointments included in the pilot study do not count towards it. Learn more about the annual out-of-pocket maximum (stm.fi, in Finnish).
Keep in mind that travel costs and medicine costs also have an annual out-of-pocket maximum.
Search for medical clinics and other customer service points
Our search tool will show you the private clinics and other service points that service providers have signed up for the pilot study. The availability of appointments may vary between clinics. Check your chosen service provider’s website for instructions on which clinic or service point you can book an appointment to.