Posted on 08/31/2009 5:58:39 PM PDT by South40
Sweden is a country of about 9.1 million people on the Scandinavian Peninsula of Northern Europe. Geographically, it is slightly larger than California. It is by any measure a first world country, with a labor force working primarily in industry or the service area, a GDP per capita of about $31,600 and an unemployment rate of 5.6 percent.1
For much of the 20th century, Sweden had a single-payer system of health care in which the government paid almost all health care costs. Like other nations with a single-payer system, Sweden has had to deal with the problem of ever-growing health care expenses causing a strain on government budgets. It has dealt with this problem by rationing health care - instituting waiting lists for medical appointments and surgery.
Sweden stands not merely as a warning about single-payer systems, but also as an example of what happens when market-based reform of such systems do not go far enough.
(snip)
Conclusion
While Sweden is a first world country, its health care system - at least in regards to access - is closer to the third world. Because the health care system is heavily-funded and operated by the government, the system is plagued with waiting lists for surgery. Those waiting lists increase patients' anxiety, pain and risk of death.
Sweden's health care system offers two lessons for the policymakers of the United States. The first is that a single-payer system is not the answer to the problems faced as Americans. Sweden's system does not hold down costs and results in rationing of care. The second lesson is that market-oriented reforms must permit the market to work. Specifically, government should not protect health care providers that fail to provide patients with a quality service from going out of business.
When the United States chooses to reform its health care system, reform should lead to improvement. Reforming along the lines of Sweden would only make our system worse.
I thought he was referring to the Swiss health care plan, not Swedish.
a single-payer system is not the answer
Bill received a prepaid vacation to Sweden. How dare he re enforce their Health Care. In addition, BOR Bloviates consistently about himself. BOR is a WEINER! TG FOX has Laura Ingram to bail his worthless *Culture Warrior*
Saggy A$$ out! I bet Bill is pouting over Beck's ratings.
Sheesh! A lot of talk about Sweden these days!
My grandmother passed away a few years ago in Sweden. My mother, then a swedish citizen but a resident alien of the US, frequently had to threaten the healthcare authorities that she would take my grandmother to the US for care.
That would light a fire but even so, my grandmother’s last few years were not pleasant.
It wasn’t so much that the care wouldn’t be provided just that it got harder and harder to get. Without a vocal advocate (and threats to go to the US) less and less would be provided.
I spent several days in a swedish hospital in 1986 when I was about 25 years old. The care was very good; but half the doctors asked about emmigrating to the US when they learned that I was a US citizen.
My $0.02...
Socialism doesn't work, not even in Sweden.
And then there’s the whole underground economy. Taxes are so high, everyone is scheming to do stuff off the books.
Oh yeah, and they drink like fish and have to run to Poland to buy duty free liquor!
My uncle used to make his own wine so he could afford to get drunk—I called it Chateau Headache!
- The advantage of the Swedish healthcare system over its American counterpart is that it’s more cost effective.
However, while patients who need emergency medicine as well as those in need of chronic care sure receive proper medical attention in both countries, those suffering from hypochondria tend to get too much of “treats” in the US while a lot of people suffereing from minor health problems have to wait for treatment over a long time over here in my country.
In any case, I fail to see how our system quickly could be introduced in the US. To begin with, it’s funded in a completely different way.
If Obama wishes to learn something of substance from Sweden that could benefit America, he ought to ask himself why two of the twenty richest men on Earth are Swedes and why we’ve got so many successful multinationals.
Thanks for your insight — very interesting. I’m curious, though — why did the authorities regard it as a threat when your mother said she would take grandma to the US for treatment? Wouldn’t that have made them happy, to get her off the books? Or would it be considered embarrassing?
Seems like you have mixed emotions about my Sweden.
I do too.
The people involved in business over here often are very admirable, while our bureaucrats deserve little of praise.
Swedes enjoy a very high standard of living, but undeniably we could do more in terms of standing up for freedom.
We do support the US in the WOT, but I often feel we fail to give SPIRITUAL support to America.
I hope people here on this forum understand many Europeans are not like Chirac.
From all true Europeans:
- God bless America!
The latter—it would be emarassing to have her go to the US. Individually, they don’t care how it “costs.”
Overall, we got the sense that once people reach a certain age the prevailing feeling was “just die already.”
In the US I think we cherish life to a much higher degree. When someone is in severe pain or on life support for a long time there might be a sense a relief ot of sympathy but still there’s a great sense of loss.
I think that’s missing in places with public healthcare and/or rationing.
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