Fee relief requests at Pirha double to 223 in March as charges rise

Aamulehti reports that Pirha, the Pirkanmaa wellbeing services county, has seen a sharp rise in applications for relief from client fees, with 223 requests filed in March alone.

Pirha's finance director Pasi Virtanen said the surge reflects recent fee increases and a reduced ability among residents to pay. The county had been receiving only tens of applications per month in the past, climbed to about 100 monthly last year, and now doubles in some months.

Mikko Hannola of Pirha’s financial services said the county has adjusted its rules to help low-income residents. Kela's basic social assistance or a finding of insolvency from the enforcement authority can now be used as proof when applying for relief. Customers can also submit requests through the Omapirha digital service.

Finnish law sets maximum client fee caps in statute, and county funding is adjusted based on those caps. That pushed Pirha and other counties to raise fees to the legal maximum. For example, the hospital outpatient fee rose from €66.70 to €71.30 and an open-care physician visit fee increased from €28.20 to €30.20. A government proposal could push fees higher and introduce a new €257 health fee, and many patients are already cancelling appointments because of cost worries.

Nonpayment can lead to payment default records. Pirha transferred more than 1,800 invoices to the enforcement authority in January and over 1,700 in February — figures that exclude most specialist care bills from Tampere University Hospital.