In Sweden, we have a health care law that stipulates care on equal terms. But now it is beginning to be eroded, says John Lapidus, PhD in economic history at the University of Gothenburg.
– Today we see how 700,000 people in Sweden buy themselves before all other citizens in the care queues and in this way we create a parallel healthcare system, says John Lapidus.
Criticism of private care
The parallel health care system is also called bipartite welfare, which Lapidus believes is the absolute opposite of the welfare that Sweden and the Nordic countries were once known for.
– We were quite unique in that no matter what social class you belonged to, you still had the same right to care, school and care, says John Lapidus, who is current with the book “The Sick Debate”.
But if public care does not always work as it should, can it be a good idea to turn to the private sector?
– No, unfortunately it’s the other way around. In every way imaginable, this emerging parallel system is eroding public health care. When we get a parallel system, we no longer have a common system. And whoever buys private insurance asks themselves why it should contribute to the common system, says John Lapidus.
Watch the full interview in the player above.