KELA (Finnish Social Insurance)

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Kela, or Kansaneläkelaitos (in Finnish), also FPA or Folkpensionsanstalten (in Swedish), and SII or Social Insurance Institution (in English), is a Finnish government agency in charge of settling benefits under national social security programs. Kela was founded in 1937 to handle retirement pay, but in the 1980s and 1990s its role was expanded to handle other fields like child benefits, unemployment benefits, sickness benefits and health insurance.

Despite the use of the word "insurance" in the English translation, Kela is funded directly from taxation, not from insurance premiums. Coverage under the scheme is given to all permanent residents of Finland. Kansaneläkelaitos is literally translated as "Institution for National Pension", reflecting its original function as a source for national retirement allowance.

[edit] Privacy issues

In May 2008, a Kela e-service apparently disclosed confidential medical insurance information to the wrong client, and subsequently took that service offline.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Woeful explanation offered in Kela disclosure case" (2008-05-20). blog.anta.net. ISSN 1797-1993. 

[edit] External links

  • [1] - Official site
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