Kautto argues that Finland has become a “country of transfer fees” and argues that increasing spending could jeopardize its position as a welfare state. However, Minna van Gerven, Professor of Social Policy and Public Policy at the University of Helsinki, states that the opposite is true.
According to Van Gerven, Finland’s current system is based on the Nordic model of the general welfare state, which offers comprehensive benefits to citizens from childhood to retirement. He believes that up to 100 percent of the population could have benefited from Kela in some form.
Van Gerven warns against grouping those who depend on Kela’s livelihood, which he says is well below 80 percent of the population, and those who use certain benefits occasionally. State-dependent income includes retirees and basic income.
Van Gerven says that Finland’s current model works “everyone pays and everyone gets”. Kela offers various benefits to citizens and residents regardless of their income level.
Health care benefits are the primary financial support, and Kela will cover the medical expenses of almost 3.7 million Finns in 2020. In addition, last year about half a million Finnish families received childcare support.
HT
Quelle: Die nordische Seite