Finnish patient with rare disease faces rising healthcare costs as government hikes fees again

The Finnish government has decided to increase public healthcare fees from 2027, despite years of repeated rises, placing further strain on low-income patients already struggling with medical expenses, Yle reports.

Pia Litmo, a disability pensioner from Espoo living with the rare Behçet’s disease, currently spends around €2,000 annually on treatment costs. The latest fee hikes—part of the government’s budget framework—have left her furious. “The pain threshold was crossed long ago,” she told Yle. Over the current term, healthcare fees have risen by up to 88%.

Litmo’s daily life involves some 20 pills, frequent specialist visits, and hospital stays. Her monthly pension of €1,200 after taxes barely covers her medical costs, which include treatments for chronic pain, eye and ear conditions, and multiple organ complications. “The system abandons low-income pensioners, the sick, and the unemployed—maybe it doesn’t matter if they don’t survive,” she said.

Finland’s cost-ceiling system, designed to cap out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare and medications, fails to protect vulnerable patients in practice. A 2024 report by the Social Insurance Institution (Kela) found over 524,000 public service fees were sent to debt collection. Litmo, a longtime lay judge in district court, noted that recovery efforts often inflate costs further through legal and collection fees.

Experts warn the fee increases will deter low-income groups from seeking necessary care. Litmo called for reversals or moderation, arguing that rising costs push patients into debt cycles. Her last hospital stay in February alone cost her €730—nearly exhausting her annual deductible.

Behçet’s disease, her primary condition, causes persistent pain and multi-organ symptoms but is not fatal. “You just have to live with it,” she said, listing her daily medications: painkillers, muscle relaxants, asthma and thyroid drugs, corticosteroids, and specialized treatments for nerve pain and infections.

With specialist appointments every few weeks—ranging from rheumatology to neurology—and intravenous biologic drug infusions every six weeks, Litmo’s case file once labeled her an “exceptionally complex patient.” Yet under Finland’s current system, complexity brings only financial strain.