HS analysis Yle’s election exam barely had time to begin when party leaders moved on to an alternative reality

Regional election exams at its peak In the great election debate for the last time, the chairmen of the parliamentary parties were asked for answers on how the parties would finance the rising costs of social and health care, as well as their numerous election promises to improve services.

There were hardly any answers on Thursday night either. Instead, a deep contradiction that plagued the regional elections intensified into the party leaders’ debate.

Exam at the beginning of the SDP Chairman, Prime Minister Sanna Marin (sd) wanted to bring a dose of realism to the debate:

“I think it’s realistic here to say that this pot, this financing solution we’ve agreed on, is the one we’re going to move forward with,” Marin said.

In the SOTE reform prepared by the government and approved by Parliament, funding for future welfare areas will be increased as the population ages and the need for services increases. From 2025 onwards, only 80% of the expenditure due to the increase in the need for services will be reimbursed to the regions, although at national level, funding will be adjusted ex post to reflect actual costs.

In any case, the financing solution means that there is little opportunity for welfare areas to expand and improve services. The regions already have a lot to do in maintaining existing services.

Marinine the fact raised by him and the other party leaders was quickly forgotten. Already during the second question, the exam seemed to move on to an alternative reality where there is no shortage of funding in welfare areas.

Chairman of the Mari and Left Alliance Li Andersson criticized the reporter’s question about which services the parties would cut.

“The problem is precisely this attitude and what we have already eliminated. We have eliminated primary health care services and low-threshold social care services. As if by accident, our healthcare system has inadvertently developed into a very specialized healthcare drive, ”Andersson explained. He added that in order to fix the problems, the availability of staff needs to be improved.

Marin shouted and said that the SDP believes it is important to invest in primary health care.

Downtown Chairman, Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko for its part, it knocked out the only clear austerity proposal that emerged from the debate. The shop now Harry Harkimo said not every small municipality needs a doctor, but services should be put together in “decent health centers”. According to Saarikko, on the contrary, local services need to be strengthened.

Opposition Party Chairman of the Coalition Party Petteri Orpon according to him, the reduction of services can be avoided by improving employment and economic growth.

The views of Saarikko and Orpo are surprising, as they drove a rather tight financial cutter together during the last government term during the last government term. Among other things, it would have allowed the previous government to cut annual expenditure growth by as much as three billion euros in ten years. Now they no longer seem to need it.

Conversation the contradiction was raised by the opposition party, the chairman of the basic Finns Riikka Purra.

“Basic Finns are ready to direct more money to the social sector. This is exactly what is being talked about too little in these debates. We need either more taxes, more debt or a cut within spending frameworks elsewhere, ”Purra said.

Although the financing of the welfare areas is not decided by the regional commissioners to be elected in Sunday’s elections, but by Parliament, Purra’s attention was appropriate. If parties really want to fix social and health problems and improve staff availability and working conditions, they should probably increase funding significantly.

Purra said that if one billion euros were cut from development aid, the money saved could be used to hire about 20,000 SOTE professionals.

However, this value selection was not reflected in the alternative budget of basic Finnsa. In it, the party would cut more than half a billion euros in development aid, but would use the money saved primarily for purposes other than social and health care. The basic Finns proposed a rather modest increase of EUR 15 million, which would be allocated to the elimination of the initial responsibility for drug reimbursements from low-income earners, reimbursements for diabetes drugs and dietary reimbursements for celiacs.

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After Sunday, the alternative reality of election exams will evaporate.

Current the government and several previous governments have made investments in social and health care. Yet all parties seem to agree that services and staffing need to be improved. Without significant additional funding, it will hardly succeed.

For example, the parliamentary parties have been prepared to direct approximately ten billion euros to the acquisition of new fighter jets. In practice, the acquisition will be financed by taking on additional debt.

In a referendum, no president would be willing to take on additional debt to fund his sote election promises. If party leaders genuinely believe that additional investments in, for example, staff and basic services will pay for themselves, one may rightly ask why they are not prepared to make these substantial additional investments, even with debt.

In everyday policy, policymakers have repeatedly sought to curb the sharp rise in SOTE spending, which is understandable. Several parties are concerned about public indebtedness fueled by an aging population. In the run-up to the election, however, the choices previously made by the parties seem to be forgotten for a moment.