The right to activity and sickness benefits

The plan's decisive commitment is humane sickness insurance and an end to denying sick people insurance, and the party programme wants more people to be covered by sickness insurance. A milder labor market concept, a less strict permanence requirement, and a possibility for time-limited sickness benefit reduces precisely the number of people who are completely without compensation. The plan does not take a position on the technical terms, so the conclusion is derived.

• stop denying insurancedecisive»Vänsterpartiet vill se en mänsklig sjukförsäkring och ett slut på utförsäkrandet av sjuka.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to see humane sickness insurance and an end to denying sick people insurance.”
• more should be covered by insurance»Att stärka framför allt arbetslöshets- och sjukförsäkringarna, så att fler kan omfattas och fler får ut mer av sin tidigare« (party programme ↗)“To strengthen above all unemployment and sickness insurance, so that more can be covered and more receive more of their earlier”
• secure compensation for sickness»När du blir sjuk eller föder barn ska du kunna lita på att få ersättning från Försäkringskassan utan att behöva stånga dig blodig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“When you become sick or give birth you should be able to rely on getting compensation from the Social Insurance Agency without having to bang your head bloody.”
• denials create insecurity»Du som blir sjuk måste oroa dig, inte enbart över din hälsa, utan också över hur möjligheterna till sjukvård ser ut och över att Försäkringskassan kanske inte godkänner läkarintyget.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“You who become sick must worry, not only about your health, but also about how healthcare access looks and whether the Social Insurance Agency will accept the doctor's certificate.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan explicitly promises to continue work on proposals to improve sickness benefits and upholds the principle that those too sick to work shall be able to rely on insurance. The counter-proposal's demand for milder assessment criteria and a revised right to sickness benefits is precisely that improvement. The plan also stands up for the retirement guarantee against cutbacks.

• improved sickness benefitsdecisive»Vi ska säkra rätten till personlig assistans och arbeta vidare med förslagen om att förbättra sjukersättningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall secure the right to personal assistance and continue work on proposals to improve sickness benefits.”
• reliable insurance for the sick»vi slår vakt om principen att den som är för sjuk för att arbeta ska kunna lita på sjukförsäkringen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“we uphold the principle that those too sick to work shall be able to rely on insurance”
• protected retirement guarantee»Vi står upp för trygghetspensionen, som utmanas av krafter från höger« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We stand up for the retirement guarantee, which is challenged by forces from the right”
• income replacement principle in social insurance»Socialförsäkringarna ska bygga på inkomstbortfallsprincipen.« (party programme ↗)“Social insurance shall be based on the earned income replacement principle.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan wishes to change the sickness insurance so that it provides better security and that people are not batted between government agencies, and to raise the minimum level of sickness and activity benefits. The party programme asserts that those who cannot support themselves long-term shall have the right to support from society. A review that makes the assessment of sickness benefit less strict thus aligns with the plan.

• more secure sickness insurancedecisive»förändra sjukförsäkringen så den ger bättre trygghet vid sjukskrivning och se till att människor inte bollas mellan myndigheter när de behöver samhällets stöd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“change the sickness insurance so it provides better security during sick leave and ensure that people are not batted between government agencies when they need society's support.”
• raised benefit levels»höja den lägsta nivån i sjuk- och aktivitetsersättningarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise the minimum level of sickness and activity benefits.”
• right to support for chronic illness»kan försörja sig själva ska ha rätt till ekonomisk och« (party programme ↗)“can support themselves shall have the right to economic and”
• safety net without holes»Samhällets skyddsnät måste förbättras så« (party programme ↗)“Society's safety net must be improved so”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme requires a basic security that is so comprehensive that no one is allowed to fall through the safety nets, and that sick leave insurance should provide rehabilitation to enable return to work. The election manifesto explicitly wants to make sick leave more flexible and improve rehabilitation. A review of the criteria and time-limited sick benefit linked to rehabilitation meets both commitments.

• no one shall fall throughdecisive»Den grundläggande tryggheten måste vara så heltäckande att ingen tillåts falla igenom skyddsnäten« (party programme ↗)“Basic security must be so comprehensive that no one is allowed to fall through the safety nets”
• more flexible sick leave»Vi vill förbättra rehabiliteringen och göra sjukskrivningen mer flexibel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to improve rehabilitation and make sick leave more flexible.”
• rehabilitation to work»den enskilda att tillfriskna och få den rehabilitering som krävs för att kunna återgå i arbete.« (party programme ↗)“the individual to recover and get the rehabilitation required to be able to return to work.”
• economic basic security»Välfärden ska innefatta sociala skyddsnät som förmår skapa en god ekonomisk grundtrygghet.« (party programme ↗)“Welfare should include social safety nets that are able to create good economic basic security.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme requires that sickness insurance provides economic security for both short-term and chronic illness and is linked to support and rehabilitation, and that someone who tries to work after long-term sick leave can return to insurance. A review of disability insurance's work capacity assessment and a time-limited disability insurance with review and rehabilitation connection is in line with this. The plan's general social insurance principle speaks against leaving the sick completely without compensation.

• security for chronic illnessdecisive»Sjukförsäkringen ska ge ekonomisk trygghet vid både kortvarig och kronisk sjukdom« (party programme ↗)“Sickness insurance shall provide economic security for both short-term and chronic illness”
• rehabilitation linked to compensation»stöd och rehabilitering för att underlätta återgång till arbete« (party programme ↗)“support and rehabilitation to facilitate return to work”
• secure work trial»arbeta ska kunna göra detta och sedan om så krävs återgå till sjukförsäkringen.« (party programme ↗)“work can do this and then if needed return to sickness insurance.”
• general social insurance»Socialförsäkringarna ska erbjuda trygghet när individen inte kan försörja sig själv vid sjukdom« (party programme ↗)“Social insurance shall provide security when the individual cannot support themselves due to illness”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto wants to introduce security compensation for those who have worn out their bodies, which in essence is the same as alleviating an assessment that excludes people with permanently reduced work capacity. The plan requires that social insurance provide reasonable security in case of illness for all. Reviewing the compensation and linking it to rehabilitation responds to the plan's requirement that compensation levels shall stimulate return to working life.

• security compensation for worn outdecisive»Inför trygghetsersättning, för dem som har ett fåtal år kvar till pensionen men som slitit ut kroppen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce security compensation, for those who have a few years left until retirement but who have worn out their bodies.”
• reasonable security in illness»en rimlig trygghet vid sjukdom, arbetslöshet, arbetsskada och pension.« (party programme ↗)“reasonable security in case of illness, unemployment, occupational injury and retirement.”
• basic security for all»den ska ge en grundläggande trygghet för alla. Socialförsäkringssystemen ska vara utformade så att alla får« (party programme ↗)“it shall provide basic security for all. Social insurance systems shall be designed so that all receive”
• compensation that stimulates rehabilitation»Nivåerna på ersättningarna ska utformas så att den enskilde stimuleras att delta i åtgärder« (party programme ↗)“The levels of compensation shall be designed so that the individual is stimulated to participate in measures”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's central commitment is the work line: the benefit line shall be replaced by the work line and aggregate benefits shall never become so high that it does not pay to work. Softening the work capacity assessment and reintroducing a time-limited sickness benefit instead increases the inflow to permanent benefits. The plan simultaneously maintains that the safety net exists for those who really need it.

• work line before benefit linedecisive»Där bidragslinjen ersätts av arbetslinjen så att fler kan komma till sin rätt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Where the benefit line is replaced by the work line so that more can get what they are entitled to.”
• incentives to work»De samlade bidragen ska aldrig bli så höga att det inte lönar sig att jobba.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Aggregate benefits shall never become so high that it does not pay to work.”
• benefit system based on work line»Skatter och bidragssystem ska utgå från arbetslinjen.« (party programme ↗)“Taxes and benefit systems shall be based on the work line.”
• safety net for those in need»där välfärdens skyddsnät finns till för den som behöver det« (2022 manifesto ↗)“where the welfare safety net is there for those who need it”

The plan establishes that the regulations for both sickness benefit and sickness and activity compensation must become more flexible and adapted to the individual's needs, and explicitly criticises that rejections have increased sharply even for people with permanent disabilities. The counter-proposal's demands for changed assessment criteria and examination of time-limited sickness compensation thus align with the plan. The committee's reasons that ongoing investigations should be awaited are not addressed.

• more flexible sickness insurance rulesdecisive»Regelverket måste därför bli mer flexibelt och anpassas efter individens behov och möjligheter både inom sjukpenning samt sjuk och aktivitetsersättningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The regulations must therefore become more flexible and adapted to the individual's needs and possibilities both within sickness benefit and within sickness and activity compensation.”
• criticism of increased rejections»Även inom sjuk och aktivitetsersättningen har bristerna varit stora och avslagen både vad gäller nybeviljande och förnyad period har ökat kraftigt vilket gått ut även över människor med permanenta funktionsnedsättningar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Even within sickness and activity compensation, the shortcomings have been severe and rejections both for new grants and renewed periods have increased sharply, which has also affected people with permanent disabilities.”
• individually adapted decisions»Öka flexibiliteten och individanpassningen i beslutsfattandet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase flexibility and individual adaptation in decision-making”
• secure and legally certain sickness insurance»Verka för en trygg och rättssäker sjukförsäkring« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work towards a secure and legally certain sickness insurance”