The World Health Organization has used Finland as a case study in a new report examining how policy changes can increase the financial burden of diabetes treatment.
The report focuses on a 2017 reform implemented during Juha Sipilä’s (Centre) term as prime minister. Under the policy, user co-payments for all diabetes medications except insulin were changed from a fixed fee of €4.50 per item to a 35 percent share of the retail price.
The WHO said this adjustment, though appearing minor on paper, led to substantial cost increases for patients, particularly those with low incomes.
The findings were based on studies monitoring the impact of the co-payment hike. These studies showed a rise in the number of people who reported difficulty paying for diabetes medications. There was also an increase in the use of social assistance to cover medicine costs and a drop in the use of non-insulin diabetes drugs.
The WHO report described the Finnish case as a warning about the broader consequences of shifting healthcare costs to users. It suggested that while such policies might ease short-term budgetary pressure, they often reduce access to treatment and increase social inequality.
The 2017 reform was part of a broader cost-cutting agenda under Sipilä’s government. Critics at the time argued that the policy disproportionately affected vulnerable groups, particularly pensioners and those with chronic illnesses.
HT
