Throughout the 2000s the amount of social and health services companies and associations has continually increased. Private service providers produce a quarter of all social and health services.
The MSAH drafts legislation on services and is responsible for the overall guidance of private service production.
Legislation concerning private social and health services:
Private Social Services Act 922/2011 (Finlex) ( in Finnish)
Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on private social services, 1053/2011 (Finlex) (in Finnish)
Private Health Care Act, 152/1990 (Finlex) (in Finnish)
Decree on Private Health Care, 744/1990 (Finlex) (in Finnish)
The MSAH strategy for social and health policy and the Government
Programme emphasise that
- private social and health services supplement municipal services and provide an alternative to them
- legislation concerning private social and health services will be combined and clarified
- public and private sector supervision will be standardized
The growing demand for social and health services
The demand for social and health services continues to increase
due to population ageing. In order to meet this demand private
services are needed in addition to public ones.
The most usual private social services include
- service accommodation for older people
- home services for older people and people with disabilities
- child and youth institutional and family care
- child day care
The most usual private health services include
- physiotherapy services
- consultations with doctors and dentists
- occupational health care
A large amount of private health service providers operate in the
large urban areas of southern Finland.
Fees and reimbursements
Municipalities may buy private social and health services
designed for clients. In this way the client pays for services
according to the act on client fees.
Social and health care client fees
Payment for private services procured by municipalities can be
paid for using service vouchers. Municipalities or joint municipal
authorities decide whether or not to use service vouchers and for
what services they issue service vouchers.
Sickness insurance reimburses patients with part of the costs of
private doctors' and dentists' fees. Reimbursements are claimed
from the Social Insurance Institution (Kela).
Supports and benefits (see sickness and rehabilitation)
Licenced activities
The provision of social services is subject to license for
round-the-clock services. In other cases, municipalities in which
services are provided must be notified in writing concerning them.
The provision of private health services is also subject to
license. A licence is not needed when services are provided for
occupational health in the case of self-employed people or
statutorily for occupational health services arranged by employers.
The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health
(Valvira) is responsible for coordinating the supervision of social
and health care nationwide, while the Regional State Administrative
Agencies is for the most part responsible for such supervision
regionally. In municipalities, service supervision is carried out
by the social and health administration or corresponding body.
The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) compiles
statistics on private social and health services.
