Sweden's health becomes political issue

CNN ^ | 8-26-02

[mikenola]

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) --Sweden exudes good health and well-being in summer. The air smells of pine trees and people of all ages bicycle and stroll well after dinner under the late-setting sun.

But as Swedes return from country cottages and Mediterranean beaches and prepare for an election September 15, they are grappling with a vexing problem: one of every six working-age Swedes is off work because of illness or injury.

[facedown]

"One thing is certain. When you raise compensation levels, more people take advantage of the system," Henrekson said.

Sick leave also is high in neighboring Norway, which has higher compensation than Sweden, but it is lower in Denmark and Finland, where compensation is lower.

I'd say the experiment has been done.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

It's only a matter of time before the system collapses.

[montomike]

I like my job. I live with the stress of my job. I get paid well for my job. I live with the stress of my life. I think too much of myself to whine and take advantage of the system. I just want the system to leave me alone. I'll take care of myself, thank-you. I am a good, conservative American worker.

[Alberta's Child]

Still, Sweden remains a world leader in labor safety and social welfare.

Sometimes these statistics just come back to haunt you, don't they? I find it comical that a country like Sweden can be held up by liberals as a shining example of socialized medicine at work even though one out of every six working-age people is sick or injured at any given time.

[Plutarch]

Funny, I used to remember hearing about Sweden as a model for the wonders of Socialism. I don't seem to see that anymore. In fact, I don't know of any country which is held up as a model example of Socialism.

I guess there is no country left to lie about.

[for-q-clinton]

It cracks me up, people are taking more leave because they are burned out due to doing the work of 2 people. The system is feeding on itself and soon nothing will be left.

Let's see, I bet the reason you have to work twice as hard is because everyone is sick. Hence, you get burned out and take sick leave causing the others to do your job. And so it goes on and on and on and on.

Did they honestly think this wouldn't occur when you pay people for doing nothing?

[philo]

Of course they lead the world in labor safety. Nobody's
working.

[Ohioan]

Is there any place in the World, where Governmental involvement in health care has actually conferred a net benefit?

What Medicare has wrought in the United States--while perhaps less extreme than the Swedish Socialist model--is certainly a case in point. (See Medicare--Panacea or Death Potion?)

With the increased technology available, and aging populations, there is no way that the Western World is going to be able, ad infinitum, to allow Socialist politicians a role in health care decisions. Sooner or later, we will all find ourselves on collision courses with reality. The Swedes, here, are just experiencing the "benefit" of giving people the incentive to call in sick--thus increasing the expense of Government, while reducing its likely revenues. But that is just the tip of the iceberg of the coming problem.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site

[rudypoot]

Why work when your salary is taxed 30 to 60%!?!?!? Take the extra 20% hit and call in sick after your 5 weeks mandatory vacation time is used up.

Sweden spends $12 billion on a population of 8.9 million. Apply this ratio to the US and you get a grand total of $404.5 billion price tag for 300 million population.

[Isle of sanity in CA]

Her move to Sweden from the United States allowed her more time off, a slower work pace and ergonomic office furniture tailored to her body.

I hope Europe continues in this direction. It'll ensure that the US will be beating the snot out of them for decades to come...

Reminds me of when the US took what it had for granted and the Japanese gave us a rude awakening..

When they accept a new country into the EU do they require them to immediately begin working less and be less productive?

[Lizavetta]

The number of people on government-paid sick leave has doubled in five years, and welfare benefits for the sick and disabled now exceed the government's military and education budgets combined.

That which is subsidized will grow in both size and cost.

[Pining_4_TX]

Sick leave pay is subject to income tax, which ranges from 30 to 60 percent.

Well, this is a hoot. How is the rate determined? I suppose the sicker you are, the lower the tax rate???? This is such an Alice-in-Wonderland system.

[Alberta's Child]

LOL.

[lizma]

"The governing center-left Social Democratic Party, seeking to extend an eight-year spell in office, has commissioned studies and written reports saying job conditions are getting harder and more stressful."

Yeah, for the handful left with a work ethic. I doubt these aren't the ones calling in sick in the first place, but hard pressed to think a study comissioned by this group is going to volunteer that fact.

[HumanaeVitae]

I think it may be a breakout of LAS. Lazy Ass Syndrome.

[Charles Henrickson]

I just got back from two weeks in Sweden. They seemed like a pretty healthy bunch to me. The pace of life seemed to be rather reasonable, not too stressful.

What's causing this health crisis in Sweden is a real mystery. Might be an outbreak of bad boiled potatoes.

[Koblenz]

"The wheels are spinning too quickly," said Anna Eriksson, 29, a nurse who took off for two months last year, calling herself burned out. "The working environment simply has become tougher. You have to do twice the work you did before."

Well, you probably have to work twice as long to pay all the taxes so that the government can pay those "sick" people. So then you decide it's better to be "sick". Meanwhile, their economy is going in the crapper.

[Leisler]

The NYTimes and its minime, The Boston Globe, still like Cuba alot.