Private health insurance

The election manifesto establishes that insurance or position in society shall not determine which healthcare you receive and that no one should need to take out a private insurance for good healthcare. The party programme points out that inequality has increased through a policy that has allowed some to buy priority and wants to put an end to market healthcare. A ban on priority lanes for insured patients is precisely what the plan requires.

• insurance shall not determine healthcaredecisive»Din försäkring eller position i samhället ska inte avgöra vilken vård du får.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Your insurance or position in society shall not determine which healthcare you receive.”
• stop priority lanes in healthcare»Ojämlikheten i tillgång till hälso- och sjukvård har blivit större, bland annat på grund av en politik som låtit vissa köpa sig förtur.« (party programme ↗)“Inequality in access to healthcare has grown, among other things because of a policy that has allowed some to buy priority.”
• end to market healthcare»Vi vill sätta punkt för marknadsvården.« (party programme ↗)“We want to put an end to market healthcare.”
• needs shall determine»Behoven ska styra, du ska inte behöva lösa en privat försäkring för att få en bra sjukvård och tandvård eller en trygg förlossning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Needs shall determine, you should not need to take out a private insurance to get good healthcare and dentistry or a safe delivery.”

The party programme explicitly requires that there be no private healthcare insurance in publicly financed healthcare, and the election manifesto that the person who has such insurance should not be able to get better or faster help there. The counter-proposal requires precisely this, including by preventing healthcare providers with regional contracts from giving insurance patients priority ahead of the care guarantee. The plan thus supports the requirement fully.

• no private healthcare insurancedecisive»Inga privata sjukvårdsförsäkringar i offentligt finansierad sjukvård.« (party programme ↗)“No private healthcare insurance in publicly financed healthcare.”
• no fasttrack for insurance patients»Den som har en privat sjukvårdsförsäkring ska inte kunna få bättre eller snabbare hjälp i den offentligfinansierade vården.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The person who has private healthcare insurance shall not be able to get better or faster help in the publicly financed healthcare.”
• care according to need»Lika rätt för alla till god hälso- och sjukvård genom samhällets försorg.« (party programme ↗)“Equal right for all to good healthcare through the public system.”
• the care guarantee shall be maintained»Om en region inte uppfyller vårdgarantin enligt lagen ska vård erbjudas i en annan region.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“If a region does not meet the care guarantee according to law, care shall be offered in another region.”

The plan states that welfare should be built on solidarity, not market logic, and that those with the greatest need should be prioritized, and that care should not be determined by their wallet. A prohibition on insured patients going ahead in publicly financed care is precisely that principle implemented as a rule. The plan also demands shorter queues for everyone.

• welfare before market logicdecisive»Välfärden ska byggas utifrån solidaritet, inte marknadslogik.« (party programme ↗)“Welfare should be built on solidarity, not market logic.”
• care according to need»Människor med störst behov ska prioriteras.« (party programme ↗)“People with the greatest need should be prioritized.”
• care not according to ability to pay»inte längre avgörs av storleken på plånboken eller var man bor.« (party programme ↗)“no longer determined by the size of their wallet or where they live.”
• shorter queues for everyone»korta köerna till behandling i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“shorten queues for treatment throughout the country.”

The plan wants to defend choice in healthcare, open up for more healthcare providers and give people great freedom to beyond the public commitment themselves invest in their own health. A ban on private health insurance goes against that line. At the same time, the party programme says that care in the publicly financed system must be provided according to need and not ability to pay, which makes the conclusion uncertain.

• freedom to buy own caredecisive»Samtidigt ska människor ha stor frihet att, utöver det offentliga vård-, omsorgs- och välfärdsåtagandet, själva investera i sin egen hälsa och sin egen utveckling.« (party programme ↗)“At the same time, people must have great freedom to, in addition to the public healthcare, welfare and welfare commitment, invest in their own health and own development.”
• choice in healthcare and welfare»Vi vill försvara valfriheten inom vård och omsorg och bedriva verksamheten nära vårdtagarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to defend choice in healthcare and welfare and conduct the activities close to care recipients.”
• more healthcare providers»Vi vill öppna upp för fler vårdgivare och öka valfriheten så att patienter tillsammans med sin läkare kan välja vårdgivare och tid då operation eller behandling passar bäst utifrån patientens behov.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to open up for more healthcare providers and increase choice so that patients together with their doctor can choose healthcare provider and time when surgery or treatment is appropriate based on the patient's needs.”
• care according to need»att snabbt få vård i den offentligt finansierade sjukvården ska ges efter behov och inte efter betalningsförmåga« (party programme ↗)“to quickly receive care in the publicly financed healthcare system must be provided according to need and not according to ability to pay”

The party programme establishes that choice in welfare services shall be applied in all areas where this is possible and that profit-driven companies shall be able to operate in healthcare and care as long as quality requirements are met, with equal conditions for private and public providers. A prohibition on private health insurance within publicly financed care cuts off that choice. The plan's requirement for needs-based care speaks, however, partly in the opposite direction.

• private providers in healthcaredecisive»Vinstdrivande företag ska kunna verka i vård och omsorg så länge kvalitetskraven uppfylls och ägarna tar ett långsiktigt ägaransvar.« (party programme ↗)“Profit-driven companies shall be able to operate in healthcare and care as long as quality requirements are met and owners take long-term owner responsibility.”
• choice in welfare»Valfriheten i välfärdstjänsterna stärker individens makt och ska tillämpas på alla områden där så är möjligt.« (party programme ↗)“Choice in welfare services strengthens the individual's power and shall be applied in all areas where this is possible.”
• equal terms for providers»Privata och offentliga utförare ska verka på lika villkor och ska omfattas av samma ersättningsregler och kvalitetskrav.« (party programme ↗)“Private and public providers shall operate on equal terms and shall be covered by the same reimbursement rules and quality requirements.”
• needs-based care»Vård och omsorg ska i huvudsak betalas över skattsedeln och ska alltid organiseras utifrån individens behov.« (party programme ↗)“Healthcare and care shall mainly be paid through tax revenue and shall always be organized based on the individual's needs.”

The plan wants healthcare to be characterized by diversity and choice, that private and non-profit alternatives are given conditions to develop and that citizens are free to choose their own healthcare provider. It also draws the boundary so that initiatives outside the solidaristically financed system are chosen and paid for by the individual themselves. A ban on private healthcare insurance within publicly funded healthcare goes against this, even though the plan's needs principle argues for the counter-proposal.

• diversity of healthcare providersdecisive»Privata, kooperativa och ideellt drivna alternativ ska ges« (party programme ↗)“Private, cooperative and non-profit run alternatives shall be given”
• free choice of healthcare provider»Medborgarna ska ges frihet att själva välja vårdgivare.« (party programme ↗)“Citizens shall be given freedom to choose their own healthcare provider.”
• own financing outside the system»Sådana insatser bör den enskilde själv välja,« (party programme ↗)“Such initiatives should be chosen by the individual themselves,”
• needs-based care»En efterfrågestyrd hälso- och sjukvård bryter mot principen om alla människors« (party programme ↗)“Demand-driven healthcare conflicts with the principle that all people's”

Choice and a diversity of actors are according to the plan a central part of the welfare model and a prerequisite for renewal. A prohibition on private health insurance within publicly funded care cuts off precisely that diversity. The plan goes rather in the opposite direction and wants to give patients the right to turn to another provider when care is delayed.

• choice in welfaredecisive»För Moderaterna är valfrihet en central del av den svenska« (party programme ↗)“For the Moderate Party, choice is a central part of the Swedish”
• diversity of providers»En mångfald av aktörer är också en förutsättning för förnyelse och innovation.« (party programme ↗)“A diversity of actors is also a prerequisite for renewal and innovation.”
• right to seek another provider»Införa en förstärkt vårdgaranti för cancerpatienter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce an enhanced care guarantee for cancer patients”
• free business»Moderaterna vill bygga ett land där ett fritt näringsliv skapar ett välstånd som kommer alla till del.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Moderate Party wants to build a country where a free business creates prosperity that benefits everyone.”

The plan defends choice within welfare and places no inherent value in who delivers care; it wishes instead to conclude cooperation agreements with both public and private care providers to increase capacity. The counter-proposal's requirement for a ban on private health insurance within publicly funded care goes against that line. The plan's answer to displacement is to eliminate queues with a proper care guarantee, not to ban insurance.

• choice within welfaredecisive»Sverigedemokraterna ser att marknadsekonomi, valfrihet inom välfärden och internationell handel gynnar samhället och är viktigt att försvara« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Sweden Democrats see that market economy, choice within welfare and international trade benefit society and are important to defend”
• cooperation with private care providers»Vårdgarantikansliet bör också ta fram underlag och upprätta samverkansavtal med olika vårdgivare, offentliga och privata, svenska och utländska, för att kunna öka vårdkapaciteten inom såväl behandling som operation och rehabilitering.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Care Guarantee Office should also draw up proposals and enter into cooperation agreements with various care providers, public and private, Swedish and foreign, to be able to increase care capacity in treatment, surgery and rehabilitation.”
• form of provision has no inherent value»vården drivs i offentlig eller privat regi.« (party programme ↗)“care is delivered in public or private administration.”
• care guarantee over bans»Avskaffa vårdköerna och införa en riktig vårdgaranti« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Eliminate care queues and introduce a proper care guarantee”