Health and Medical Information for Sweden
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Sweden is recognized as having one the world’s strongest, highly developed economies and is technically well advanced. Swedish citizens enjoy a secure and high standard of living, with a sophisticated welfare and healthcare system.
The Swedish healthcare model is recognized as one of best in the world, with a large number of new hospitals and a plentiful supply of well trained doctors, nurses and state-of-the-art medical technology. These factors enable the residents of Sweden to enjoy a high standard of healthcare. Compared with its European neighbors, Sweden has superior cancer survival rates and better infant mortality and life expectancy figures; a reflection of the long running success of the Swedish healthcare system. Healthcare in Sweden consists of a combination of private and public healthcare facilities, with the public based services predominating.
The Swedish state system is funded by a combination of taxation from income – mainly at a local level – contributions from central state funds and capped patient fees. These arrangements apply to Sweden’s registered citizens; non-working dependents are covered by family contributions. The funding of the Swedish public healthcare system is vulnerable to economic factors, particularly the level of unemployment and consequently the ability to collect taxes.
Any foreign immigrant to Sweden without employment in place is required to prove they have private health insurance cover for medical treatment in Sweden before Swedish immigration authorities will issue them with a residence permit. Members of a country in the European Union have the right to obtain a reciprocal European Health Insurance Card. Self employed workers in Sweden are required to take out extra insurance cover for themselves and family members to ensure medical care can be provided if income fails to reach a level where tax would be paid.
Many healthcare centres in Sweden are equipped to provide medical services for outpatients including general practice, maternity care, child healthcare and dental care. These centres are also able to provide for minor emergency medical aid plus laboratory, radiology, and other diagnostic services. Visits to health centres will incur capped fees.
The Swedish healthcare system combines private and public facilities, with a strong emphasis on high quality standards of patient care. The majority of healthcare facilities across Sweden are publicly run, with private healthcare facilities only making up a small proportion of medical services. The healthcare system has a strong emphasis on decentralization, with local county councils having great autonomy to run and finance their healthcare facilities within their area of influence.
Private health insurance in Sweden is generally taken out by Swedish citizens to top-up access to public healthcare - such as an eventuality when a referral is not granted by a general practitioner.
The entire Swedish population is entitled to equal access to healthcare services across the country. The government of Sweden is responsible for organizing the national healthcare system. Approximately 9% of GDP has been reinvested in the healthcare system for the last 20 years – a key factor in the standard of public healthcare being so high. The central government consists of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the National Board of Health and Welfare - whose role is to oversee local government participation in healthcare provision. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions consists of 20 county councils and 290 municipalities with responsibility for 8 regional hospitals, 65 county hospitals and 1,000 health centers. It is the responsibility for the county councils to finance, organize and follow-up specific healthcare matters. While 8 hospitals does not seem to provide a lot of capacity for a population of 9 million persons, the hospitals are very large in size and have capacity to cater for significant numbers of patients, with an extensive range of medical services. The state run healthcare system caters for roughly 90% of Sweden’s medical requirements, with 10% out-sourced to the private sector.
While private medical insurance has risen in recent years, it only accounts for the supply of medical services to approximately 3% of the Swedish population under private insurance funded schemes. However, the number of Swedish citizens with private health insurance is expected to increase as more Swedish companies are using private health insurance as an incentive for hiring and retaining employees.
As Sweden is part of the European Union, there is a reciprocal agreement in place for European citizens holding a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to receive medical treatment while in Sweden. Registered citizens of a European country are entitled to apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which enables the holder of the card to seek equal access to healthcare facilities available to citizens of the home nation.
Consultation with a public healthcare doctor will cost a patient between SEK 100 to SEK 150 (US$14-US$20) per treatment; specialist care charges can range from SEK 200 - SEK 300 (US$ 26 – US$40). EHIC holders and non-EHIC visitors are encouraged to obtain Swedish health insurance coverage as EHIC does not cover costs associated with medical transportation or on-going medical treatment. It needs to be borne in mind that certain specialist medical treatments can be extremely expensive in Sweden.
Consultation with a general practitioner and pharmaceutical costs in Sweden need to be paid patient out-of-pocket by a at the time of provision, with each county council setting the fees for their respective district. However, there is national ceiling on the total amount a patient will be required to pay for these services over a 12-month period. Children and adolescents under the age of 19 receive free doctor consultations and pharmaceutical provisions. Out-of-pocket payments generate approximately 3% of the total healthcare costs in Sweden each year.
For more expensive medical procedures, a Swedish citizen will receive treatment free of charge, but needs to be referred by a doctor for this to be obtained.
The majority of Swedish public healthcare funding comes from local county council taxes – approximately 70% of the healthcare costs in Sweden are generated by these means. This includes healthcare services for the elderly and disabled patients provided either in their home or in a special residential home. The Swedish central government funds roughly 20% of the healthcare costs in the country each year.
The success of healthcare in Sweden has created some residual issues – such as the country has one of the oldest populations in Europe, with 5% over the age of 80. In 2005 chronic diseases in the aged population - which required substantial financing over a prolonged period - have been financially demanding on the Swedish public healthcare system. This aspect - combined with the Swedish government’s implementation and successful provision of high quality standards of medical care in state-of-the-art facilities has been financially draining. Public healthcare facilities have also been criticized for the long waiting periods for pre-planned operations such as hip replacements. These issues need to be addressed if the renowned high standards of healthcare are to be maintained.
All visitors to Sweden are urged to obtain full Swedish international insurance to cover you and your family while in Sweden. It is recommended that you obtain comprehensive medical cover as prolonged medical treatment can be expensive in Sweden; it is important to ensure you international Swedish health insurance includes air ambulance evacuations as the cost for this service would be be very expensive.
