KELA
I got my first European Health Insurance Care card 20 years ago. I was going to a seminar in France and knew that this card would be good to have with me while going abroad. Kela sends a new one before the old one expires.
I used Kela’s services during my studies 2010-2013 for getting the study grant and the general housing allowance. I also needed a student loan, and I got the government guarantee for it from Kela. Currently, my husband and I both receive reimbursements for medicine expenses. At the beginning of the year, we have to pay 50 euros annual initial deductible. This means we pay full price for our medicines until this deductible is covered. Now that I started my Master’s degree, I have to pay the healthcare fee every semester through OmaKela. Other than that, we don’t use any other Kela’s services.
OmaKanta
I logged in OmaKanta with my mobile banking. Using the service is quite easy and I think they have made the navigation system clearer than it was at the beginning of the service. For instance, before you couldn’t see the Laboratory Examination section on its own. You had to know which appointment you got the referral to laboratory tests, and the test results were updated to that specific appointment. I noticed that OmaKanta has a new version, and it will be updated in stages during 2024. I already looked at how the prescription part looks in the new version and it seems more user-friendly than the old one.
Keva
I couldn’t get a pension estimation for when I turn 63. The earliest I can get pension is when I’m 67 years and 3 months old. Comparing my pension between ages 68 and 70 there’s only a 275-euro difference.
Online stores
Online shopping is making our lives easier because you can find several options for what you are looking for. The other side is that you have to know which of these services is reliable. These days there are fake digital shops that look legitimate but are used for scams. Usually, when I buy something from abroad, I try to check whether the company is trustworthy and what kind of feedback other customers have given. I have purchased many different things from web stores, and everything has gone quite smoothly.
I browsed Amazon to check the prices of a specific Moomin mug and it was a bit more expensive than in Iittala store. I searched also Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and I found a lot of options. I found the watch at a significantly lower price than any store offers in Finland. But still most of the prices on Amazon were quite similar to those in Finnish online stores.
I checked from booking.com how much a hotel room would cost on a particular day in Helsinki. I searched for a one-night stay for two people. I selected the first five hotels in the search results and compared the prices to the hotels’ own sites. Surprisingly it was cheaper to make the reservation straight from the hotel. Booking.com sometimes offered a slightly lower price, but only because it didn’t include breakfast.
In the end all my search results were adequate, and the information was correct. Searching for hotels was easy and user-friendly, allowing you to quickly view all available options with one click. When buying goods from abroad, you need to be aware of the possible delivery costs and taxes you might need to pay. The prices vary so one must pay attention to what is included in the price. It is also good to check what kind of payment options are available. I prefer the ones where the seller receives the payment when the goods are sent.
Application from my own field
I’m using REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) at work on a weekly basis. It’s a secure web application which allows you to build and manage online surveys and databases. It can be used for data collection and management. It’s compliant with important regulations such as GDPR, making it a reliable choice for sensitive data management. I chose this application because it allows collaboration between different institutions and can be used to multi-site studies. It’s quite easy to use and you can import a large amount of sample data instantly. There are several options for generating reports and exporting the collected data to common statistical tools for analysis.
Digital gap
I think some people are at risk of being excluded from society as we continuously develop online services. People who don’t know or aren’t able to use online services are left out. They are forced to do things the hard way, such as making more phone calls and dealing with customer service. It must be quite challenging to even know which phone numbers to call or what time different services are available. Real-time information about opening hours and phone numbers is mainly online. It’s quite likely that they need to go to the services in person, which often means a lot of waiting to get served.
These days we primarily use different applications to stay connected with our family and friends. People without this kind of interaction might feel isolated. Non-digital people are at risk of missing out on important information and news updates. Job advertisements are primarily digital, making it significantly harder to find a job if you can’t use these systems. I’ve also noticed that even the user manuals for most devices are only available online.
It’s incredibly difficult to operate in today’s world without a banking code or a mobile certificate. Without these, accessing essential services like online banking and healthcare services becomes a significant obstacle. This digital divide can result in major challenges and exclusion, especially for those who are not familiar with digital tools or do not have access to them.
Many healthcare services are already provided through digital platforms. It’s possible to book a laboratory appointment, have remote consultations with a doctor, or receive a treatment assessment at any time through Omaolo. There is also a digital care pathway service called My Path (Omapolku) where you can get information about your treatment, message professionals and report your symptoms. As a non-digital person, you aren’t on equal footing with those who use these services.
Digital competence test
It was useful to do this test, so I know where I can improve.
Self-evalution
These assignments helped me gain a new perspective on digitalization. I’m already so used to doing everything online that I didn’t realize how different my life would be without access to all these services. Digital services are making our lives easier, giving us opportunities to use our time efficiently. At the same time, it reminded me that people are becoming more divided and that some of us are not being treated equally. There is also a difference in how well people know what to trust on the internet. Although the internet is full of data, it’s tricky to figure out what is accurate and factual. As our society is turning more to digital, it’s more important that we also teach people how to critically evaluate online information and use digital technologies responsibly.
I wrote comments on these blogs:
https://environmentdigi.wordpress.com/digi-citizen/
https://blogi.savonia.fi/sannakuivasaari/digi-citizen/#comment-2
https://blogi.savonia.fi/satunordman/digi-citizen/#comment-2