Revised 2/5/2026
Published 7/1/2025
General practitioner appointments: Freedom of choice pilot covers general practitioner appointments for individuals aged 65 and older, as well as examinations defined by Kela at self-monitoring prices. Appointments are held on weekdays. The time for the freedom of choice appointment is fixed, and it is not possible to book consecutive appointments for the same day, so the service is best suited for handling a single health issue. If all matters cannot be resolved during the visit, the physician may suggest additional appointments. A new self-monitoring fee will be charged for each visit. You can book a longer appointment with a general practitioner outside freedom of choice pilot, allowing you to address multiple issues in one session.
Laboratory and imaging tests: The pilot partially reimburses some tests prescribed by the doctor, such as blood tests, urine tests, electrocardiograms (ECG), and chest X-rays.
Appointment booking: Only some of Mehiläinen's physicians accept patients aged 65 and over as part of freedom of choice trial. You can book an appointment with the physicians participating in the trial on the website, through the OmaMehiläinen app, or by calling customer service. You can also book an appointment with other general practitioners, but these visits are not covered under the freedom of choice pilot reimbursement.
Sample Collection Fee 30 € per sample collection. Self-responsibility 15 € per sample collection.
Other tests are charged according to Mehiläinen's normal price list.
Sample Collection Fee 30 € per sample collection. Self-responsibility 15 € per sample collection.
The general practitioner will discuss your symptoms and health status with you and perform necessary physical examinations, such as examining your throat or skin, measuring blood pressure, or listening to your lungs and heart.
After basic examinations, the doctor may refer you for further tests, such as imaging or laboratory tests, to refine the diagnosis and treatment. See the list of laboratory tests included in the freedom of choice pilot.
The doctor will make a diagnosis and create a treatment plan, which may include medication, lifestyle changes, further tests, or a referral to another healthcare professional.
The doctor cannot access your Kanta.fi data without your permission. Grant persmission in Kanta.fi if you want the doctor to see your previous records. Previous health records are often invaluable for treatment planning and ensuring patient safety.
You can also note down or recall the following information if it applies to you:
In the freedom-of-choice pilot, people aged 65 and over can see a private practitioner with a co-payment equal to the public healthcare outpatient fee, i.e. at the price of 30,20 €. The physician and place of care can be chosen by the customer from among the participating service providers. You will also receive a 50 per cent reimbursement for the most commonly needed and separately defined laboratory examinations.
During a calendar year, three general practitioner visits are reimbursed.
General practitioner visits:
Additionally, tests are reimbursed for up to three prescriptions, as only tests prescribed during a pilot-covered doctor’s visit are eligible for reimbursement.
No, you cannot. Only some of Mehiläinen’s doctors accept customers aged 65 and over under the freedom of choice pilot. You can book an appointment with other general practitioners, but these visits will not be eligible for reimbursement under the pilot.
They are not. The stated outpatient fee is the total price, and no separate office or service fees are charged in addition to it.
Yes, you can. Please note that in 2026, a total of three general practitioner visits are reimbursed.
Yes, you do. The payment ceiling applies only to public client fees, and visits in private healthcare are not included in it. Therefore, a private doctor’s visit is charged as usual. In the case of the freedom of choice trial, an outpatient fee is 30.20 €.
Yes. Previous health and examination records are usually available in OmaKanta, provided you have granted consent for the data to be visible. Additionally, information recorded during visits to Mehiläinen will also be updated in OmaKanta.
Yes, they can. Preparing a referral is based on the physician’s medical assessment, and they can write a referral to public specialized healthcare. However, public specialized healthcare makes its own decision on the processing of the referral and admission to care, and practices may vary between wellbeing services counties.
In the freedom-of-choice pilot, practitioner appointments in private healthcare are reimbursed for those service providers that have an agreement with Kela. The reimbursement is obtained by presenting the Kela card or an identity card already at the place of care. The place of care deducts the reimbursement directly from the price of the physician visit.
The customer only pays the co-payment, the amount of which is at most the public healthcare outpatient fee, i.e. 30,20 €. No separate office fees, outpatient fees or Kanta fees are charged for the visits. In addition, the pilot reimburses half of the examinations included in the pilot and the sampling fee that are prescribed during physician appointments covered by the pilot.
The aim of the freedom of choice pilot is to improve access to primary healthcare-level services for individuals aged 65 and over, strengthen customer choice, and enable more equitable access to private healthcare. This, in turn, may help reduce the burden on wellbeing services counties. The pilot also aims to develop Kela reimbursements (e.g., testing price caps) and enhance the effectiveness of reimbursements as part of the overall healthcare system.
The pilot reimburses 50 % of the maximum cost of tests and sample collections included in the pilot. These tests may include, for example, blood tests, urine tests, or imaging studies.
The freedom of choice pilot for individuals aged 65 and over is scheduled to begin on September 1, 2025, and is intended to last until December 31, 2027.
