Health Insurance in Finland

Surprisingly, there are 187,888 lakes in Finland (Sandvik, 2018)! Finland lies in an interesting and beneficial geographical location which provides its people with plentiful natural resources. The racial and religious demographic reflects on the cultural history of Finland. The climate is positively affected by the surrounding ecosystems, like bodies of water. The economic, social, and political state is lively and well. Current events include issues regarding natural resources and new policies on alcohol. While there are health issues in Finland, there are exceptional hospitals and health insurance policies which help residents deal with them. Despite current events and health issues, Finland is rich with natural resources and cultural history, as well as a stable economic, social, and political state.

Finland is a fascinating country in a geographical, ecological, and historical sense. Finland is a Northern European nation a part of Scandinavia and is considered a Nordic country. Finland lies in the northern and eastern hemispheres. About 9,000 years ago ancestors of the Sami people founded Finland in search of furry mammals and fish. At first these native people migrated to Finland during the summers to indulge in the plentiful hunting and gathering of berries and game. Over time the transition of people staying year around in Finland began. About 3,000 years later another group of ancestors of the present Finns arrived from the southeast (Henriksson et al., 2018). Today Russia, Norway, and Sweden boarder Finland. A variety of natural resources such as lumber, peat, and metals occur in Finland.

Approximately three-fourths of Finland’s land is forested, which makes trees Finland’s greatest natural resource. Pine, spruce, and birch are the main types of trees that grow in Finland. Finland’s government has taken measures such as cultivation programs to protect the longevity of Finland’s forests. This prevents forest depletion and acid rain (Henriksson et al., 2018). About one-fifth of Finland’s energy is from forest-industry waste like bark, sawdust, and waste sludge. Secondly, peat deposits make up one-third of Finland. Peat is soil-like decomposed vegetable matter which is used for gardening and fuel. Peat is widely used in agriculture. Thirdly, in the north of Finland iron, nickel, and copper is mined. Finland benefits from forested land, peat, and metal as its naturally occurring resources (Henriksson et al., 2018). Finland is a beautiful medley of natural resources and founding peoples which is proud to be a Nordic country.

The demographic and religious make up of Finland is not diverse. Finnish people comprise majority of the population. Swedish, Sami, and Roma people make up the rest of the demographic of Finland (Helsinki, 2013). The Lutheran Church is the major religious group in Finland. It is estimated that seventy third percent of people living in Finland belong to the Lutheran Church (Helsinki, 2013). Majority of the Finnish population are Finnish and identify with the Lutheran Church.

Finland’s climate is unique because of the many bodies of water surrounding the country. Before exploring climate, it is important to conceptualize what climate means. A Lego house can be thought of as a metaphor for climate. Each brick is one day of weather and together all the bricks make up a house. Climate is the weather over a long period of time. Finland’s climate is milder than other bordering countries because of the Gulf Stream. There is a great deal of lakes and gulfs in Finland which regulate Finland’s climate. During the warm summer months, the average temperature is thirteen to seventeen degrees Celsius. During the coldest winter months, the average is negative twenty-two to three degrees Celsius. There is snowfall December through April. In the south of Finland, the sun will rise for only six hours a day during the midwinter.

During the summer the south rises for 19 hours a day (WeatherOnline, 2018). The lowest average rain fall is two hundred mm, and the highest average rainfall is seven hundred mm a year. Two weeks after the beginning of winter, permanent snow covers the ground. There is the most snow cover during the month of March. The average amount of snow in the south of Finland twenty to thirty cm (Finnish Meteorological Institute, n.d.). Finland has a great of deal of bodies of water and beautiful ecosystems. The main bodies of water around Finland includes Gulf of Bothnia, Pielinen, Samimaa, Samiaa Canal. The atmosphere in Finland is dry, this results in clear and sunny days even during cold weather. Seventy five percent of Finland’s land is forest ecosystems. Finland has the third greatest amount of wetlands in all of Europe (Finnish Forest Association, n.d.). The climate, weather highs and lows, water system, atmosphere, and ecosystems are all connected and creating a habitable environment for the people of Finland.

The current status of Finland is composed of its economic, social, and political state. Finland’s economy has open markets. Trade is an important part of Finland’s economy. Exports and imports makes up seventy two percent of gross domestic product. The average tariff rate is one-point six percent. Generally, foreign investment is not limited by government policies. There are state-owned enterprises as well as competitive financial systems (Economic Freedom, 2018). The health and welfare state positively affects the social state in Finland. Health centers provide free medical treatment to the people of Finland. Health centers are run by local authorities.

The life expectancy for Finnish is one of the highest in the world (Larson et al., 2018). Finland has nineteen autonomous, self-governing, regions. Additionally, Aland is an archipelago in the Baltic sea between Finland and Sweden. Aland is a part of Finland but is self-governed. Aland has special status with its own parliament, flag, and representative Nordic Council. Finland has a progressive taxation which means the greater a person’s salary the higher amount they are taxed (Larson et al., 2018). Overall, Finland has a stable economic, social, and political state.

There are two pressing current events which have occurred in Finland recently. A current event is that a steel manufacturer in Finland has recently gained access to mineral deposits. American tariffs will cause prices to rise if American consumers would like to purchase steel from Finland. (Ewing, 2018). Another current event is, Finland’s parliament voted to change alcohol policies. The changes included, grocery stores now having the ability to sell beer with 5.5 percent alcohol. The previous policies only permitted grocery stores to sell beer with 4.7 percent alcohol. Also, restaurants and bars can now stay open later. This change has created a divide in Finland between people who think the new policies will increase rates of alcohol abuse and others who agree with the change (PRI, 2017). Finland is a country of importance where interesting current events happen daily.

The people of Finland, whether college aged or adults, suffer from health issues. Major health issues for college aged students in Finland includes: depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, alcoholism, and the flu. Alcoholism does not just effect college aged students. The abuse of alcohol is present in Finnish society. Approximately thirty percent of the Finnish population deals with the health issue of alcoholism (Business Insider Nordic, 2016). Alcoholism can be viewed as the abuse of alcohol. Signs of alcoholism include: the inability to control drinking, craving alcohol, prioritizing drinking instead of responsibilities, drinking too much, and spending a great deal of money on alcohol. Often alcoholism engenders from mental challenges like dealing with stress, the loss of a loved one, and anxiety.

The long term physical effects of alcoholism are: brain defects, liver disease, diabetes, heart problems, vision damage, and bone loss (Galbicsek, 2018). Alcoholism has historically been a health issue in Finland and is currently on the rise. Annual alcohol consumption has increased from 7.6 liters in 1985 to 10.0 liters in 2010 (Wikipedia, 2018). There are many new health issues on the rise in Finland, and obesity is one of them. An astonishing 15% of Finnish teenagers are obese. Obesity is a new health issue which is increasing in Finland. As for Finland’s hospital system, there are districts in which a main hospital services each area. The charge is not hefty to stay in a hospital on a day by day bases. The state will reimburse the patients for part of the cost of drugs used while in the hospital.

Health Insurance is funded by the tax system for all residents. A resident’s insurance is not affected by their income. All residents of Finland have access to health care and insurance, because all residents are covered under one universal policy (International Student Insurance, 2018). Residents of Finland deal with health issues which affect their wellbeing.

A well-rounded view of Finland includes climate, culture, health issues, current events, and an assessment of the economic, social, and political state. Finland is a lovely country with many positive attributes like well conserved forests and a helpful medical system. A place of beauty and grace, Finland has deep rooted cultural and demographic history which lives on today. There are many news worthy events taking place in Finland, and there should be many more to come. Finland has a bright future because of its stability. Finland is an amazing country with plenty to offer.