Swedish Health care system:

The health care system in Sweden is mainly government-funded and decentralized.

This system is financed primarily through taxes levied by county councils and municipalities.

Sweden delivers high quality, economically viable healthcare.

Sweden’s health care system is ranked among the top health care systems in the world.

According to the report published by the Canadian research institute:

 5.2% of the population is over 80, compared to the OECD average of 4.2%
 Spending on elderly care is 3.6% of GDP, compared to an OECD average of 1.7%
 Sweden has the highest number of elderly care workers per capita
 7/10 dependent elderly people receive care in their homes.
 The quality of health care in Sweden is generally good, for example:
o rates of avoidable hospitalization for chronic conditions such as asthma (22.2 per
100 000 population) are among the lowest in the OECD (average 45.8)
o 90% of people using primary care in Sweden said they were treated with respect
and consideration by staff

Who is covered?

The Coverage is universal.

What is covered?

Services:
hospital care, primary health care, prescription drugs, mental health care, dental care,
rehabilitation services, disability support services, patient transport support services, home
care, and nursing home care.

Cost-sharing:
Patients pay SEK 100-150 (about $15-23) per visit to a primary care doctor.
SEK 200-300 ($30-46) for a visit to a specialist or to access emergency care and up to SEK 80
($12) per day in hospital.
For outpatient pharmaceuticals, patients pay the entire cost up to SEK 900 per year ($137)
while costs above this are subsidized at different rates (50%, 75%, 90% and 100%).
Out-of-pocket payments accounted for 13.9% of total health expenditure in 2005 (World
Health Organization 2007).

Safety nets: The maximum amount to be paid out-of-pocket for publicly financed care in a
12-month period is SEK 900 ($137) for health services and SEK 1,800 ($274) for
pharmaceuticals.
Children are exempt from cost-sharing for health services.
An annual maximum of SEK 1,800 ($274) for pharmaceuticals applies to children belonging
to the same family.
Limited subsidies are available for adult dental care.

How is the health system financed?

Central and local taxation.
County councils and municipalities levy proportional income taxes on their residents.
The central government provides funding for prescription drug subsidies.
County councils provide funding for mental health care, primary care and specialist services
in hospitals.
Municipalities provide funding for home care, home services and nursing home care.
Local income taxes account for 70% of county council and municipality budgets.

Objectives for health care:

Effective, good-quality health and medical care.

This care must be equitable, gender-equal and accessible.

To Guarantee all privacy and confidentiality requirements

To insure effective and efficient health care delivery.