Healthcare in Sweden

Healthcare in Sweden is regarded as some of the best in the world. Their tax funded system gives equal access to everyone in the country, which is known to have the best ratio of doctor to patient in the world. I originally started this article to discuss health insurance in Sweden, but after looking around and doing some research, health insurance is not that common and is usually only used by a few. Let’s go into more detail.

Public Healthcare in Sweden

The government of Sweden invests almost a tenth of its entire GDP into their healthcare system every single year, thereby providing an excellent medical care for the public. This also means that anyone who resides in Sweden is entitled to the exact medical care that Swedish nationals receive, regardless of their country.

The medical fee for an adult in Sweden is among the most affordable in the whole of Europe, so also medical care is totally free for anyone under the age of 20 years. However, there is a problem; you might have to wait a long time before you get an appointment with a GP or specialist. The only exception, in this case, is urgent cases, they are usually given priority and patients normally get an appointment within 3 days. Cases that are not so urgent will have to wait until at least 7 days before any appointment to a healthcare center can be granted and no longer than 90 if you are to see a specialist. You should be aware that dental care in not included in the Swedish healthcare system, but there are subsidies. You can read more about dental care in Sweden here.

Health insurance in Sweden

It is rare to find a private health insurance here because the healthcare in Sweden is so good. However, some companies usually provide medical insurance as an employee benefit. The main benefit of this type of insurance is not usually the quality of healthcare, the treatment will remain within the same facility and handled by the doctors you can find in public healthcare but only the advantage of being granted an appointment instantly.

Expats that are not citizens of the EU should take out private insurance to make sure that all their medical treatment will be covered until you get your visa and personummer sorted. Expats should always check with the insurance company of their home country to be aware if their policy will be valid abroad.

You might take paying a medical fee for a drag, but you will be glad to know that there is a particular limit on the cost for every individual per year. You will get a free medical consultation for the next 12 months if you have paid a certain amount in medical fee within one year.

Photo Credits: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se