All Finns will be assigned a score based on their projected use of social and health care services, reports Helsingin Sanomat.
Reijo Aarnio, the Data Protection Ombudsman of Finland, has admitted to being surprised by reports that, as part of the social and health care reform, all citizens would be assigned an individual score based on how big a burden they are projected to place on the social and health care system.
The score will then be used to determine the capitation reimbursements of social and health care providers.
Helsingin Sanomat revealed yesterday that the score will be calculated by combining data from various national registers to ensure it reflects the medical history and health- and lifestyle-related risks of each Finn. The report has stirred up widespread concerns about the risks of consolidating such comprehensive personal data into a single database.
Aarnio on Tuesday told Uusi Suomi that the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) should submit the legal justification for the proposed scoring system to the office of the Data Protection Ombudsman.
“The rule of thumb is that you can obtain data on yourself from a register under the right of inspection, and there can be no general, comprehensive exception to the rule. At least the so-called indirect right of inspection must be guaranteed,” he reminded.
“THL seems not to have considered the issue also in terms of its implications for the upcoming EU data protection regulation,” added Aarnio.
THL has been tasked with preparing the capitation reimbursement system. Timo Seppälä, a research director at THL, argued to Helsingin Sanomat that individual scores and monthly reimbursements are the only way to prevent social and health care centres from boosting their profitability by hoarding the healthiest people as their customers.
“The reimbursements absolutely must be individual,” he stressed to the daily newspaper.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT Photo: Panu Pohjola – Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi
