Health insurance for non-EU students (HE 277/2006)

[sy]

(This is directly related to the other thread, bb/viewtopic.php?t=18883. Well, I think it's better to start a new thread, since we have more concrete details of the Government Bill to discuss here.)

Here is the summary of the Government Bill (HE 277/2006) on health insurance required for non-EU students.


National implementation of EU Directive 2004/114/EC on the conditions of admission of third-country nationals for the purposes of studies, pupil exchange, unremunerated training or voluntary service

In Finland, only cases of studies and pupil exchange are implemented. Other cases (unremunerated training and voluntary service) are regarded to be rare and of short time, and thus considered not necessary to be implemented.

The Directive requires, among others, “third-country nationals shall have sickness insurance in respect of all risks normally covered for its own nationals in the Member State concerned”, and “students who automatically qualify for sickness insurance in respect of all risks normally covered for the nationals of the Member State concerned as a result of enrolment at an establishment shall be presumed to meet the condition”.

Currently foreign students are not covered by the municipal health care services and the KELA insurance.

Another pending Government Bill (HE 206/2006) concerning home municipality suggests granting a foreign student a home municipality under certain conditions and case-by-case consideration, if the study will last for 2 years at least. Thus it allows such foreign students to access the municipal health care services.

Even for those students covered by YTHS services, they are not covered for hospital treatment, or medicine and travel costs.

Currently in Finland it is not possible to get any private insurance that compensates the costs that are parallel to the municipal health care services and the KELA insurance. The prerequisite to get private medical expense insurance in Finland is that the said person is covered by the municipal health care services and the (KELA) sickness insurance. Also in other countries it is difficult to get the insurance that matches exactly the Finnish system. So it is appropriate to require such a medical expense insurance that the sickness of the foreign student won’t incur unreasonable cost to the society, and the student can buy and get reasonably.

For foreign students studying longer than 2 years, they can get the home municipality. Thus only insurance covering the medicine costs are required for them. The insurance should compensate the cost up to 30 000 euros (bound to the cost level of year 2007).

For foreign students who will study less than 2 years, the insurance should compensate the medical expense costs up to 100 000 euros (bound to the cost level of year 2007).

Finnish diplomatic missions found out that these kinds of insurance can be purchased in foreign countries, while the details and prices vary. Insurance valid for one year could cost from several hundred euros to one thousand euros. Not in every country these kinds of insurance are provided; in some countries an insurance compensating costs up to 100 000 euros is not necessary available. However such an insurance with one-year validity can be purchased from some international insurance companies with price of about one thousand euros.

The insurance company should be reliable and well-established. Finnish diplomatic missions will keep a list of such insurance companies.

It is also intended to follow the effects of this regulation on the amount of foreign students coming to Finland. Actions could be taken to reduce the negative effects caused by this insurance requirement.

The proposal is a new sentence added to the Section 46 of the Aliens Act: "Issuing a residence permit requires that the alien has an insurance issued by a reliable and well-established company or institution, which covers the cost of medical treatment. If the estimated length of the study is at least two years, an insurance covering medicine cost will suffice."

The law is intended to come into effect on 1 September 2007.

This Government Bill is dependent on the other Government Bill concerning the home municipality. If that bill is rejected, all non-EU students are required to have an insurance, which covers the cost of medical treatment (compensating medical expense costs up to 100 000 euros).

[foreigner]

The insurance company should be reliable and well-established. Finnish diplomatic missions will keep a list of such insurance companies.

Exactly, if this is not done - as network_engineer commented in the other thread, this thing is useless.

It is also intended to follow the effects of this regulation on the amount of foreign students coming to Finland. Actions could be taken to reduce the negative effects caused by this insurance requirement.

I had the laugh of my life reading this - read non-EU students instead of foreign students - Anyway, it would be interesting to see what actions could be taken to reduce the negative effects caused by this insurance requirement

[Hank W.]

Flower-hatted aunties having a candle vigil?

[sy]

It is also intended to follow the effects of this regulation on the amount of foreign students coming to Finland. Actions could be taken to reduce the negative effects caused by this insurance requirement.

I had the laugh of my life reading this - read non-EU students instead of foreign students - Anyway, it would be interesting to see what actions could be taken to reduce the negative effects caused by this insurance requirement

Well, it's kind of tricky here. Mostly when talking about "foreign students", it means "non-EU students" in this context. But this sentence in the government bill is a response to the statement made by the University of Helsinki. University of Helsinki has set up a goal to increase the amount of FOREIGN students and researchers during the stategy period of 2007-2009 (probably other universities and colleges have the same goal). It stated in its opinion that this health insurance requirement shouldn't be an obstacle for this goal. So if the university gets less non-EU students and get even more EU-students, then it's OK for the university.

And for the possible actions, I guess they can lessen the requirement so that cheaper insurance is good enough.

[Hank W.]

Maybe we should just start charging the non-EU students tuition fees and give them "free" healtcare

[network_engineer]

Hi Sy, all,

On

Thus it allows such foreign students to access the municipal health care services.

I wasn't aware that this bill would give access to the municipal health care as well, but then I have not read it that carefully.

Currently in Finland it is not possible to get any private insurance that compensates the costs that are parallel to the municipal health care services and the KELA insurance. The prerequisite to get private medical expense insurance in Finland is that the said person is covered by the municipal health care services and the (KELA) sickness insurance. Also in other countries it is difficult to get the insurance that matches exactly the Finnish system. So it is appropriate to require such a medical expense insurance that the sickness of the foreign student won’t incur unreasonable cost to the society, and the student can buy and get reasonably.

So, do you mean to say that Finnish insurance companies are out of question?

Finnish diplomatic missions found out that these kinds of insurance can be purchased in foreign countries, while the details and prices vary. Insurance valid for one year could cost from several hundred euros to one thousand euros. Not in every country these kinds of insurance are provided; in some countries an insurance compensating costs up to 100 000 euros is not necessary available. However such an insurance with one-year validity can be purchased from some international insurance companies with price of about one thousand euros.

Is this list publicly available? If this is available, it should make it much easier. What about countries that do not offer such insurance?

Kind regards.

[sy]

Thus it allows such foreign students to access the municipal health care services.

I wasn't aware that this bill would give access to the municipal health care as well, but then I have not read it that carefully.

The Bill HE 206/2006 would give students whose studies will last at least 2 years the access to the municipal health care services. This Bill HE 277/2006 implements the EU Directive 2004/114/EC and requires students to have sickness insurance in respect of all risks normally covered for Finnish nationals.

It seems that there are two parts of sickness insurance in respect of all risks normally covered for Finnish nationals: the municipal health care services and the KELA insurance.

So if students whose studies will last for at least 2 years can get the right of home municipality according to the bill HE 206/2006, they're allowed to access the municipal health care service, thus only insurance covering the medicine costs are required. This insurance corresponds to the KELA insurance (KELA pays half of the medicine costs on the part that is over approximately 8 euros).

For students not entitled to the right of home municipality, they're required to get an insurance covering the cost of medical treatment, which should compensate the medical expense costs up to 100 000 euros.

Currently in Finland it is not possible to get any private insurance that compensates the costs that are parallel to the municipal health care services and the KELA insurance. The prerequisite to get private medical expense insurance in Finland is that the said person is covered by the municipal health care services and the (KELA) sickness insurance. Also in other countries it is difficult to get the insurance that matches exactly the Finnish system. So it is appropriate to require such a medical expense insurance that the sickness of the foreign student won’t incur unreasonable cost to the society, and the student can buy and get reasonably.

So, do you mean to say that Finnish insurance companies are out of question?

I don't know exactly. The bill just states the current situation of Finnish insurance companies for not providing insurances that would match EXACTLY the requirement made by the Directive.

Probably UVI/police should also accept the insurance from Finnish insurance companies. It would be difficult for students to go back to their home countries to get the insurance after they have stayed in Finland for some years.

Finnish diplomatic missions found out that these kinds of insurance can be purchased in foreign countries, while the details and prices vary. Insurance valid for one year could cost from several hundred euros to one thousand euros. Not in every country these kinds of insurance are provided; in some countries an insurance compensating costs up to 100 000 euros is not necessary available. However such an insurance with one-year validity can be purchased from some international insurance companies with price of about one thousand euros.

Is this list publicly available? If this is available, it should make it much easier. What about countries that do not offer such insurance?

According to my understanding, this list will be available at Finnish embassies. And if there are no such insurance companies in a country, probably a list of international insurance companies will be provided.

We should suggest that the local police in Finland should provide a list of Finnish insurance companies for students applying for the residence permit extension.