The Impact of Increasing User Charges for Diabetes Medicines: Lessons From Finland
Abstract
Diabetes is a common chronic condition that affects around 7% of adults in Europe. Many people with diabetes need medicines to control symptoms and prevent complications. In 2017, against a backdrop of rising diabetes care costs and budgetary pressure, the Finnish health system increased user charges (co-payments) for all diabetes medicines except insulin, changing them from a fixed co-payment of €4.50 per item to a percentage co-payment of 35% of the retail price. What at first glance may seem like a relatively modest change in co-payment design led to a substantial increase in out-of-pocket payments for diabetes medicines. This brief summarizes the policy change and its impact and identifies lessons for Finland and for other countries that are concerned about the negative effects of user charges on access to health care.
Authors
Hanna Rättö, Piia Lavikainen, Katri Aaltonen, Janne Martikainen, Marcos Gallardo Martínez, Sarah Thomson
Additional Information
- Peer-Reviewed: no.
- Open Access: yes.
- Cite as: Rättö, H., Lavikainen, P., Aaltonen, K., Martikainen, J., Gallardo Martínez, M., & Thomson, S. (2025). The impact of increasing user charges for diabetes medicines: lessons from Finland. WHO Regional Office for Europe.
