The evolution of single payer health insurance

This is one of the big underreported stories these days, namely that single payer systems are working far less well than they used to, including during the pandemic but not only.  Eventually the blame will shift and will be put on something like “austerity,” whereas the deeper understanding was that those systems were bound to end up understaffed and undercapitalized all along.  In any case, here is the latest from Sweden, circa summer 2022:

In 2000, around 100,000 Swedes had private health insurance. Today, there are seven times as many, in a country of 10 million people. In 60% of cases, the insurance is paid for by the employer. According to the Swedish insurers’ organization Svensk Försäkring, the rate can vary from 300 to 600 crowns on average per month. For those dealing with health problems, the advantages are quicker consultations and avoiding long waiting lines.

And that is from Le Monde, not the Heritage Foundation.  The Canadian, British, and New Zealand systems are all in crisis too.  But that narrative is not exactly tailor-made for today’s media environment…

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