Immigration and healthcare : A deeper look into public healthcare expenditure and reimbursements for private healthcare in Finnish regions 2010-2019
Andersson, Helmi (2022)
Andersson, Helmi
2022
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022103163887
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022103163887
Tiivistelmä
Unlike other Nordic countries, Finland was a relatively homogenous society for most of the 20th century. With immigration increasing in the last three decades, however, the public debate on the effects of immigration has grown louder. For some, immigration is a remedy for a worsening dependency ratio and fiscal sustainability, while others fear migrants are overusing the benefits provided by the Nordic welfare system. In this heated debate, the need for fact-based evidence on the effects of migration is obvious. In this thesis, the impact of immigration on the welfare system is analyzed through the lens of healthcare. In the thesis, the Finnish healthcare market is examined by analyzing public healthcare expenditure and reimbursements for private healthcare services by the social insurance institution (Kela). The effects are analyzed on regional level for the years 2010-2019 with a two-way fixed effects-model. The findings indicate that an increase in the share of immigrants in the Finnish population had a substantial negative
impact on public healthcare expenditure per capita during the years 2010-2019. Furthermore, the findings reveal little to no evidence of immigration causing a crowding out-effect from public to private service providers among consumers in the healthcare market. The thesis adds to a growing literature on immigration and healthcare, while providing new insight into the impact of immigration on the Finnish healthcare market.
impact on public healthcare expenditure per capita during the years 2010-2019. Furthermore, the findings reveal little to no evidence of immigration causing a crowding out-effect from public to private service providers among consumers in the healthcare market. The thesis adds to a growing literature on immigration and healthcare, while providing new insight into the impact of immigration on the Finnish healthcare market.