Proposed Finnish fee hikes could push specialist-care bills above 2023 levels

Proposed increases to patient fees could make some specialist-care charges more than 90 percent higher in 2027 than they were in 2023, Yle reports. Outpatient clinic and day-surgery fees are among those affected if the proposed legislative changes take effect.

Over the same period, fees for short-term institutional care would rise by 18 to 48 percent, according to the figures cited in the report. The government has proposed the increases as wellbeing services counties and HUS decide their social and healthcare fees for 2027. Regional councils are expected to confirm the rates around the turn of the year.

Experts have criticised the increases as unreasonable. In October 2026, medical counsellor Kati Myllymäki, professor Hanna Nohynek and law graduate Eija Koivuranta filed a complaint with the Chancellor of Justice. The Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman has also raised concerns about healthcare fees.

At HUS, the joint authority responsible for specialist care in the Uusimaa region, inquiries and calls about billing have increased considerably in recent years, although the number of invoices has remained stable. Service manager Satu Willgren said customers often express disbelief at the total on a hospital bill and increasingly ask for invoices to be checked.

According to Jussi Tervola, a chief researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, adult specialist-care fees are broadly similar across the regions. All wellbeing services counties and HUS charge the statutory maximum for outpatient visits, day surgery, short-term institutional care and series treatments. Fees for some other services, including remote appointments and treatment calls, vary by region, and there is no consolidated price data. Regions also differ in how they grant reductions; at HUS, some people receiving a guaranteed pension or undergoing debt adjustment may qualify.

Fees for minors also vary between regions. HUS began charging for short-term psychiatric inpatient care for minors at the start of 2025, while the Kymenlaakso region exempts people under 18 from day-surgery and institutional-care fees. The government has proposed ending day-surgery fees for minors from March 1, 2027.

HUS’s joint authority board is due to submit its proposal on specialist-care fees on November 16. The final decision will be made at a joint authority meeting.