The main purpose of the social insurance system is to secure the livelihood and well-being of citizens in various stages of life, such as in connection with illness, unemployment, old age or family-related situations. In Finland, the social insurance system is very comprehensive and is mainly based on social insurance contributions paid by employees and employers and state subsidies. There are two pension systems in Finland: the national pension, which is paid to everyone with little or no earnings-related pension, and the earnings-based pension, which is based on earned income. Unemployment insurance is divided into basic allowance, labor market support and earnings-related unemployment allowance. Earnings-related daily allowance is paid to persons belonging to the unemployment fund. In Finland, health insurance covers both medical costs and loss of earnings during the illness. Everyone living in Finland is covered by health insurance.
Family benefits are one part of the social insurance system. These include, among other things, maternity, paternity and parental allowances as well as child allowances. Kela (National Pension Institution) administers most of the social insurance system.Kela (The Social Insurance Institution of Finland) is an independent, publicly governed institution that manages the basic security of people living in Finland in different life situations. Kela’s mission is to help people at different stages of life.
When my children were small, I received child benefit from Kela. As they grew up, they received study support from there. I got chronic asthma three years ago. When I made an application and attached a doctor’s certificate, I received compensation for asthma medications. I work in an association where I direct customers to Kela’s services. I advise and guide clients who are caregivers. They take care of loved ones who have an illness or disability. You can apply for care support for a loved one from Kela when the person incurs expenses due to illness or injury. In addition, when an illness occurs, Kela organizes adaptation or rehabilitation courses. I took this adaptation course myself when I got asthma. The course was good and provided information and peer support. I also tell my clients about the rehabilitation courses organized by Kela. It is possible for them to attend a couple of courses. Caregivers can also apply for the course on their own, allowing them to rest in peace. However, for the most part, you have to find out about Kela’s services yourself. Kela does not offer its services automatically. Therefore, it is good that we share information about Kela’s services with our customers. Kela is, however, a place in our society where housing, child benefit, care and pension benefits are applied for. Subsidies related to livelihood and studies, as well as family allowances. Oma Kanta is a Finnish online service where citizens can view and manage their own health-related information. I can see medical information and treatment notes recorded by healthcare professionals, such as information about doctor visits, diagnoses and treatment instructions.
I can view laboratory results, such as blood tests or other test results, that are recorded in the system. I can see valid and expired prescriptions. I can renew recipes directly in Oma Kanta. I can also see there how much medicine is left in the prescription and when it was last renewed or purchased. I can make and save a medical will, which is a document in which I say what kind of treatment I want in the event of a serious illness or accident, if I am unable to express my wishes myself.
I can save an organ donation will with which I can express whether I want to donate my organs to the care of other people after my death. I can also manage data. Do I share treatment information between different healthcare units and professionals. I can agree or refuse. I use the services of the social insurance system electronically. Online banking credentials make it easy to identify yourself. The positive things about it are the ease and the fact that you can search for information online. Kela’s applications can be submitted electronically. Transactions are difficult for people who do not have online banking credentials. There are also still many elderly people who do not own a computer. Then it is very difficult to get information and apply for benefits. You cannot view treatment results or new prescriptions. We still have the generation alive who do not control the electronic service network. This is difficult for them. However, the development direction all the time is that the services can be found on the internet.
The development direction is that welfare areas create service paths for different patient groups. The services can be found on the website of the welfare areas, which includes both public and third sector services. From there, people themselves find the services and apply for them. Applications are made electronically, and decisions are also made electronically. Older people don’t benefit from these opportunities because there is no expertise.
I use the services of the social insurance system electronically. Online banking credentials make it easy to identify yourself. The positive things about it are the ease and the fact that you can search for information online. Kela’s applications can be submitted electronically. Transactions are difficult for people who do not have online banking credentials. There are also still many elderly people who do not own a computer. Then it is very difficult to get information and apply for benefits. You cannot view treatment results or new prescriptions. We still have the generation alive who do not control the electronic service network. This is difficult for them. However, the development direction all the time is that the services can be found on the internet. The development direction is that welfare areas create service paths for different patient groups. The services can be found on the website of the welfare areas, which includes both public and third sector services. From there, people themselves find the services and apply for them. Applications are made electronically, and decisions are also made electronically. Older people don’t benefit from these opportunities because there is no expertise.
If I had worked in the public sector, I could check my pension information from Keva. I have worked as an entrepreneur for 13 years and my pension accrues according to what I have paid to the pension company. However, I have always kept my Yel payment at the same level as what I would have earned working for someone else. At the age of 65, my pension would be about two hundred euros less than at the age of 67.
I use the booking.com service. I have found many hotels that have been good and affordable. When there is competition, the price is also good. Today, there are no phone books where services can be found. The common man cannot even find a barber to book an appointment with unless he uses digital devices. We no longer have paper service directories to search for services. A person who does not use smartphones or a computer is outside of society’s services. He can’t go to the bank or the doctor, because almost everything happens electronically.
I know a lot about Kela services. I have had to figure them out on behalf of elderly loved ones and as an entrepreneur. During this course, I have learned to justify my knowledge about it in English and that is my biggest lesson. I have learned a lot of new words and things in another language.
We often don’t think about how much of our things are already on the digital platform. With this course, I understood how challenging it is for those people who don’t have the opportunity to manage services digitally or don’t have online banking credentials. I have realized that I still have a lot to learn about digital opportunities and how to use them. With this course, I ordered myself a European medical card (EHIC).
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