Sickness benefit income base

The plan requires strong insurance that creates security for everyone throughout life and that social insurance is universal and comprehensive, based on the income replacement principle. New rules for sickness benefit income that captures self-employed people's historical incomes and cultural workers' stipends close gaps for groups currently excluded. The plan further wants to see a humane sickness insurance and an end to delisting of the sick from insurance.

• strong social insurancedecisive»Vi vill se starka försäkringar som skapar trygghet för var och en under« (party programme ↗)“We want to see strong insurance that creates security for everyone throughout”
• income replacement principle»tighetsbaserade och grundade i en inkomstbortfallsprincip är viktigt« (party programme ↗)“based and grounded in an income replacement principle is important”
• humane sickness insurance»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 delisting the sick.”
• the value of cultural work»Kulturen spelar en viktig roll och är en del av välfärden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Culture plays an important role and is part of welfare.”

The party programme states that insurance systems must be adapted for a labour market where many shift between studies and work and combine employment with self-employment – precisely the problem a new income protection system for self-employed persons and cultural workers addresses. Good economic protection when income is lost is fundamental, and the election manifesto safeguards the principle that anyone too ill to work can rely on sickness insurance.

• insurance adapted to new forms of workdecisive»Försäkringssystemen måste avpassas för en arbetsmarknad, där« (party programme ↗)“Insurance systems must be adapted for a labour market where”
• the income-loss principle»Ett gott ekonomiskt skydd när den egna förvärvsinkomsten faller bort är grundläggande« (party programme ↗)“Good economic protection when own earned income is lost is fundamental”
• confidence in sickness insurance»vi slår vakt om principen att den som är för sjuk för att arbeta ska kunna lita på sjukförsäkringen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“we safeguard the principle that anyone too ill to work can rely on sickness insurance.”
• support for artists' conditions»Samhället ska stödja kulturlivet och ge konstnärer inom alla konstarter« (party programme ↗)“Society shall support cultural life and support artists in all art forms”

The plan requires broad working life security with low entry thresholds that in applicable parts also covers students and self-employed. A new sickness insurance system where self-employed can calculate income based on historical income and where artist grants count toward cultural workers is precisely such an expansion to groups with weak protection. The plan also explicitly wants to improve cultural creators' economic and social conditions.

• broad insurance with low thresholdsdecisive»Försäkringen ska vara bred, ha låga trösklar för« (party programme ↗)“Insurance must be broad, have low thresholds for”
• protection also for self-employed»studenter och egna företagare.« (party programme ↗)“students and self-employed.”
• security for cultural creators»förbättra kulturskaparnas ekonomiska och sociala villkor och modernisera upphovsrätten så att kulturskaparnas rättigheter värnas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“improve cultural creators' economic and social conditions and modernise copyright so that cultural creators' rights are protected.”
• more secure sickness insurance»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 ↗)“reform sickness insurance so that it provides better security during sick leave and ensure that people are not passed around between authorities when they need social support.”

The plan explicitly wants security systems adapted to business owners' conditions and to reform the security system so that more people dare to invest in entrepreneurship; the party programme stipulates that safety nets should also include business owners. A new framework where sole proprietors can calculate their income-related sickness benefit based on historical income is precisely such an adaptation. The plan therefore supports the work being continued.

• security systems for business ownersdecisive»Även kvinnors företagande behöver främjas, med trygghetssystem anpassade till företagares villkor och en mer jämställd fördelning av det offentliga riskkapitalet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Women's entrepreneurship also needs to be promoted, with security systems adapted to business owners' conditions and a more equal distribution of public venture capital.”
• reformed security system»Vi vill reformera trygghetssystemet så att fler kvinnor kan satsa på enreprenörskap och se till att statligt riskkapital fördelas mer jämställt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to reform the security system so that more women can invest in entrepreneurship and ensure that public venture capital is distributed more equally.”
• security also for business owners»också omfatta företagare och studenter.« (party programme ↗)“also include business owners and students.”
• more flexible sickness insurance»Vi vill förbättra rehabiliteringen och göra sjukskrivningen mer flexibel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to improve rehabilitation and make sickness leave more flexible.”

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 establishes that social insurance shall be adapted to students' and entrepreneurs' situations and that entrepreneurs' opportunity to choose the level of insurance cover shall increase. A new income-replacement-level regulation where the self-employed can calculate their income based on historical income is precisely such adaptation. The plan furthermore wants that high-quality artistic creation shall have good conditions, which bears the demand that grants are included for culture workers, and that the connection between benefits and paid premiums becomes clear.

• social insurance adapted for entrepreneursdecisive»Socialförsäkringarna ska anpassas till studerandes och företagares situation.« (party programme ↗)“Social insurance shall be adapted to students' and entrepreneurs' situations.”
• entrepreneurs' insurance cover»möjlighet att välja nivå på försäkringsskyddet ska öka.« (party programme ↗)“opportunity to choose the level of insurance cover shall increase.”
• good conditions for artists»Konstnärligt skapande av hög kvalitet ska ha goda villkor.« (party programme ↗)“High-quality artistic creation shall have good conditions.”
• connection between benefit and premium»Det ska finnas ett tydligt samband mellan förmåner och inbetalade premier.« (party programme ↗)“There shall be a clear connection between benefits and paid premiums.”

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 party programme requires that social security systems give everyone reasonable security in case of illness and that a solidarity-financed system provides economic security at different stages of life. Self-employed people and cultural workers with irregular income currently receive weaker protection, which is why a framework for calculating SGI based on historical income and including grants follows from the plan's commitment. The plan also wants initiatives and creativity to be encouraged by society.

• reasonable security in case of illnessdecisive»Socialförsäkringssystemen ska vara utformade så att alla får en rimlig trygghet vid sjukdom, arbetslöshet, arbetsskada och pension.« (party programme ↗)“The social security systems shall be designed so that everyone is afforded reasonable security in case of illness, unemployment, workplace injury and pension.”
• security at different stages of life»Ett solidariskt finansierat socialförsäkringssystem ska finnas för att ge ekonomisk trygghet under livets olika skeenden.« (party programme ↗)“A solidarity-financed social security system shall exist to provide economic security at different stages of life.”
• enterprise is encouraged»Det är viktigt att initiativ och skaparkraft uppmuntras av samhället« (party programme ↗)“It is important that initiatives and creativity are encouraged by society”

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 states that the conditions for starting and running a business must be good and that entrepreneurs have the right to the same security as everyone else, and that risk-taking should be rewarded. An income security framework that lets self-employed calculate their income on historical data reduces precisely the insecurity that deters people from starting businesses. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's demand in substance.

• good conditions for entrepreneursdecisive»Villkoren för att starta, växa och expandera behöver vara goda för att fler ska våga lämna trygga och välbetalda jobb för att starta företag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The conditions for starting, growing and expanding must be good so that more dare to leave safe and well-paid jobs to start a business.”
• security also for entrepreneurs»Du som är företagare har rätt till samma trygghet som alla andra« (2022 manifesto ↗)“You as an entrepreneur have the right to the same security as everyone else”
• risk-taking should be rewarded»Risktagande ska därför belönas.« (party programme ↗)“Risk-taking should therefore be rewarded.”

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 demands improved protection of income qualifying for sickness benefit and a secure and legally certain sickness insurance where the regulations become more flexible and adapted to the individual's conditions. A new SGI regulation that lets self-employed calculate their income based on historical income and includes scholarships for cultural workers is precisely such an adaptation for groups with weak protection. The plan therefore speaks for the counter-proposal's demands.

• strengthened SGI protectiondecisive»Förbättra skyddet för den sjukpenningsgrundande inkomsten (SGI)« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improve protection of income qualifying for sickness benefit (SGI)”
• more flexible regulations»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 as well as sickness and activity compensation.”
• secure and legally certain sickness insurance»Verka för en trygg och rättssäker sjukförsäkring« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for a secure and legally certain sickness insurance”
• individually adapted decisions»Öka flexibiliteten och individanpassningen i beslutsfattandet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase flexibility and individual adaptation in decision-making”

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.