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 from 1 September 2025 to 31 December 2027 at the price of the local user fee charged by public healthcare providers.
In 2025, the first year of the freedom of choice pilot, you can see a private general practitioner twice at the price of the local user fee. In 2026 and 2027, you can have up to 3 appointments at this price in each calendar year. Visit the OmaKela e-service to see how many appointments you have left. 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, but it will be updated with a delay.
You can get treatment and undergo examinations and tests at the prices listed for the pilot study only if you choose a general practitioner who is part of the freedom of choice pilot.
You will also find compiled instructions in the brochure (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.
Costs for private medical care have no cap on out-of-pocket costs
The costs for private medical care have no cap on out-of-pocket costs, i.e. annual deductible. The user fees in public healthcare services have a cap on out-of-pocket costs per calendar year, but the costs for private medical care are not included. Read more about the cap on out-of-packet costs (stm.fi, in Finnish).
Note, however, that travel costs and medicine costs have a cap on out-of-pocket costs.
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 freedom of choice pilot. 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 will also have to pay half (50%) of the maximum price of certain examinations or tests your doctor orders for you during your appointments. If the clinic charges a lower price for the examination or test, the amount you pay will be lower. Check the maximum prices of the appointments, examinations and tests included in the pilot study (PDF).
The clinic will contact you later to tell you he results of the examinations or tests. This is part of the appointment. You do not have to pay a separate fee to have the clinic contact you to tell you the results, and it will not count as a new appointment or reduce the number of appointments available to you during the pilot study. You also do not have to pay any separate service fees, administrative fees or other costs.
During the freedom of choice pilot, you also have the right to other reimbursements Kela pays for private medical care costs. For example, Kela will reimburse EUR 8 for a chat appointment and EUR 30 for appointments with other private practitioners.
Example 1: Laboratory test
The doctor orders a laboratory test for Anna. Its maximum price is EUR 12. The clinic also charges a laboratory fee of up to EUR 30. Anna pays EUR 21. This is half of the total costs.
Example 2: Lung X-ray
The doctor orders a lung X-ray for Matti. Its maximum price is EUR 97. The clinic does not charge a separate imaging fee for the X-ray. Matti pays EUR 48.50. This is half of the total costs.
Example 3: The clinic charges a lower price for an electrocardiogram (ECG)
The doctor orders an ECG for Pekka. Its maximum price is EUR 47. However, the clinic charges EUR 37 for the ECG, which is lower than the maximum price. Pekka pays the price EUR 13.50 (EUR 37- EUR 23.50).
Search for medical clinics and other customer service points
You can search for medical clinics or other customer service points by name, municipality or wellbeing services county. You can get treatment at the price of the local user fee charged by public healthcare providers only if the private clinic or customer service point is participating in the freedom of choice pilot and has signed an agreement with Kela.
The search function shows clinics and customer service points that have been enrolled in the pilot study
The search function shows all the medical clinics and customer service points that service providers have enrolled in the pilot study. All the clinics don’t necessarily offer doctor's appointment times at the moment. Check on the service provider’s website which clinics have available times.