Six out of ten babies have private health insurance
In 2020, six out of ten babies had private health insurance. The share was slightly lower among four-year-olds. The mothers of insured children were as satisfied with the primary health care medical services they received as those who did not have insurance. The information comes from surveys conducted in 2018 and 2020 under the FinChildren study.
In the youngest age groups, the share of insured persons is considerably higher than the share of those receiving Kela reimbursement for visits to a private doctor, which is shown in the material provided by Kela. The proportions of those who have received Kela reimbursements for a visit to a private doctor and those who have taken out insurance vary by region and the socio-economic status of the family.
Parents’ financial situation affects taking out insurance policies
The financial situation of the parents is connected to taking out insurance policies. The parents’ education, the number of children in the family and the family type are also connected to the prevalence of insurance policies. In families with two parents and one child who felt that their financial situation was good, 72 per cent of four-year-old children were insured. Less than one fifth of long-term social assistance clients had taken out insurance for their child. However, more than one third of those who felt that their finances were fairly poor or poor had taken out insurance.
“Taking out insurance for a child is not only explained by the family’s financial situation, as even low-income families take out insurance while not everyone who is well-off takes out insurance. This is not unambiguous, and the matter of taking out insurance may not be directly related to costs and benefits. It may be that, especially for the parents of their first child, taking out insurance is seen as part of good parenthood and preparedness for future illnesses,” says Petri Paju, Senior Specialist at the Central Union for Child Welfare.
The highest number of Kela reimbursements for children’s visits to private doctors in municipalities surrounding large cities
In 2021, a third of all children aged 1–3 received Kela reimbursement for visits to private doctors. A quarter of those who received reimbursement lived in Helsinki or Espoo. However, the shares of those receiving Kela reimbursements were largest in municipalities surrounding large cities, especially in the Turku region.
“There is clear regional variation in visits to private doctors, which suggests that there are also regional differences in taking out insurance. Taking out insurance is probably influenced by the supply of private and public services, but also by possible regionally occurring perceptions of the importance of taking out insurance,” Paju summarises.
In more densely populated areas, insurance policies were more common, and the share of insured children barely reduced from infants to four-year-olds.
Further information
Petri Paju
Senior Specialist, Central Union for Child Welfare
tel. +358 50 578 0259
[email protected]
Reija Klemetti
Research Manager
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
tel. +358 29 524 7265
[email protected]
Maaret Vuorenmaa
Senior Researcher
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
tel. +358 29 524 7008
[email protected]
