Government proposes expansion of the freedom of choice pilot for persons aged 65 and over
The Government has submitted a proposal to Parliament concerning the amendment of the Health Insurance Act. The proposed amendments would expand the selection of services covered by the freedom of choice pilot and extend the pilot by one year starting from 1 January 2027.
The Government is proposing amendments to the act governing medical care reimbursements. If approved by Parliament, the amendments regarding the pilot study on freedom of choice in healthcare for persons aged 65 and over will come into effect on 1 January 2027.
What are the changes planned to the freedom of choice pilot that may enter into force on 1 January 2027?
The freedom of choice pilot is proposed to cover six doctor’s appointments per calendar year instead of the current three.
The intention is to add four physiotherapy appointments per calendar year to the services covered by the freedom of choice pilot. For the physiotherapy, the customer would pay a sum that does not exceed the local user fee charged for individual physiotherapy by public primary healthcare providers (EUR 19.90 per session in 2026).
The intention is to extend the freedom of choice pilot by one year so that it would end on 31 December 2028.
When are the proposed changes intended to enter into force?
If Parliament approves the government proposal, the amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2027.
We will publish more information about the amendments once Parliament has reviewed the proposal.
What is the freedom of choice pilot for persons aged 65 and over?
The pilot study on freedom of choice in healthcare for persons aged 65 or over is based on a temporary amendment made to the Health Insurance Act. The pilot began on 1 September 2025, and its aim is to improve the availability of primary healthcare services, speed up access to treatment and provide more freedom of choice for customers. At the same time, the pilot will produce new data that will help in the development of Kela’s reimbursement system.
During the pilot, the customer will pay up to the price of the local user fee charged by public healthcare providers for each appointment with a private general practitioner. This requires that the doctor is participating in the freedom of choice pilot. Kela pays the remainder of the appointment fee directly to the service provider. The reimbursements provided by Kela during the pilot also cover some of the most common examinations, tests and treatments, such as certain laboratory tests and imaging services.
Maximum prices have been set for the services included in the pilot. This measure is tested in Finland for the first time in this pilot for the reimbursements Kela pays for the costs of private healthcare services. The number of appointments is also limited to control costs.
More information