By Years: Lauri Laats

Social issues are central: funding for nursing home placements and price control, sick pay compensation (sickness benefit), healthcare accessibility and waiting times; pensioners and support for single pensioners; free/state support for kindergarten places; the demographic crisis (birth rate) and youth employment; funding for home care; notifications regarding the Social Insurance Board systems, and issues concerning the quality of services provided. Religious and ethical questions are also discussed (the debate surrounding advance directives/end-of-life declarations).

The focus is on livelihood, the cost of living, demography (specifically the birth rate), support for the elderly, and issues concerning the care sector. It has been stressed that consumption taxes disproportionately affect low- and middle-income individuals, and that both the social assistance system and the regional availability of services require improvement. The discussion relies heavily on demographic data and healthcare measures (such as health insurance and sickness benefits), with a strong emphasis placed on youth health and prevention, although funding remains a point of contention. Criticism has been leveled against the system of state-run nursing homes and the subsistence benefits scheme.