40,000 students fail to pay healthcare fee: Kela

The national social insurance institution- Kela has sent a late payment reminder about the student healthcare fee to some 40,000 students, said Kela in a press release on Wednesday.

Late payment reminders were sent to higher education students who registered as attending for the spring term by 31 January but did not pay the student healthcare fee by the due date.

About 213,000 students, however, paid the healthcare fee by the due date, said Kela.

About 40,000 students have yet to pay it and about 11,000 students paid the fee late.

Kela has now sent the latter group of students a late payment reminder which includes a EUR 5 fixed late fee.

Students who paid the healthcare fee after the due date will get a reminder about the late fee. The payment reminder letter can also be viewed in the OmaKela e-service.

In January, Kela sent a letter with payment instructions to more than 200,000 students who had registered as attending by the beginning of January and had not yet paid the fee.

The healthcare fee that higher education students must pay to Kela covers all of the services available from the Finnish Student Health Service.

There are no other fees for service or per-visit charges. The 2022 rate of the student healthcare fee is EUR 35.80 per term.