Glossary

Referral
is a document with which a doctor refers the patient to further care.

Deductible
is the part of the fee that is to be paid by the customer. The rest, usually the majority, is often paid by the wellbeing services county, Kela or insurance.

Care guarantee
There is a care guarantee in force in public health care services in Finland. This means that health care centres and hospitals guarantee that they will provide treatment within a certain time. If you have tried to seek help from a health care centre but have not received it, you should ask about the care guarantee.

Commitment of expenditure
You can receive financial assistance for treatment for substance abuse problems. Wellbeing services counties and Kela can pay for part of the treatment expenses. Different wellbeing services counties have different rules on this, so check with your municipality’s social services to see what kind of treatment you can receive a commitment of expenditure for.

Wellbeing services county

There are 21 self-governing wellbeing services counties in Finland. The responsibility for organising health, social and rescue services was transferred from municipalities to wellbeing services counties from the beginning of 2023.