Healthcare is one of the most important public services in every country. Swedish healthcare system has its rules and nuances that I’m going to break down in this post.
Swedish healthcare system in general
Healthcare system in Sweden is run by local authorities or municipalities. All facilities are divided into public and private sectors:
- Public healthcare – managed and provided by the county, municipality other local authority.
- Private healthcare with contract with with National Healthcare Services. In this case, prices of healthcare services are the same as in public facilities.
- Private healthcare without contract with National Healthcare Services. In this case patients cover all costs of all treatments they get.
Healthcare system decentralisation allows flexibility in managing healthcare institutions but leads to some problems when it comes to coordination between regions due to constant changes in methods of management.
Different departments in Swedish healthcare system
Healthcare in Sweden is divided into 7 departments:
- “Close-to-home care” – primary and maternity care clinics, out-patient psychiatry clinics, etc.
- Emergency care – ER departments for injuries and illnesses that require immediate attention and treatment.
- Elective care.
- In-patient care – patients that needs admission and bed in a hospital).
- Out-patient care – patients who come to the hospital to get treatment but don’t require a bed because they’re not staying there for longer).
- Specialist care.
- Dental care.
Right to healthcare insurance
Access to public healthcare system and insurance is granted to every person folkbokförd in Sweden (visible in population register). In other words, if only you have valid personnummer, you are entitled to use public healthcare system and be covered by social insurance. In this case you can get necessary treatment on conditions like everyone else living in Sweden.
Costs of healthcare services in 2024
Public healthcare services are not completely free. They are co-financed from healthcare insurance but patients still pay some amount for every visit. Costs depend on the region and are as it follows:
| Region | Primary care visit (SEK) | Specialist care visit (SEK) |
|---|---|---|
| Blekinge | 150 | 300 |
| Dalarna | 200 | 350 |
| Gotland | 200 | 300 |
| Gävleborg | 250 | 250 |
| Halland | 200 | 300 |
| Jämtland Härjedalen | 400 | 400 |
| Jönkoping | 250 | 250 |
| Kalmar | 250 | 250 |
| Kronoberg | 150 | 350 |
| Norrbotten | 300 | 300 |
| Skåne | 200 | 300 |
| Stockholm | 270 | 275 |
| Sörmland | 250 | 450 |
| Uppsala | 200 | 260 |
| Värmland | 300 | 300 |
| Västerbotten | 300 | 300 |
| Västernorrland | 360 | 360 |
| Västmanland | 170 | 340 |
| Västra Götaland | 100/300* | 300 |
| Örebro | 220 | 330 |
| Östergötland | 200 | 200 |
High-cost protection
Högkostnadsskyddet means that if you pay a certain amount during specific period, you pay less or nothing for further services. There are different types of cost protection in Swedish healthcare system.
High-cost protection in outpatient care
There is a maximum amount for how much you need to pay for healthcare in outpatient care during a year. Outpatient care is all care that does not require you to be hospitalised. For example, it could be a visit to a general practitioner or a nurse at a health centre. The high-cost protection also applies if you seek care in a different region than where you live.
In 2024, in all regions it is SEK 1400 (except Jämtland Härjedalen where it’s SEK 1300). High-cost protection period (frikort) is counted from the first visit that led to exceeding the SEK 1300 / SEK 1400 threshold (ex. if you visited doctor for the first time 3rd April 2023 and spent SEK 1400 on 25th March 2024, your high-cost protection is active 25th March – 2nd April 2024).
Your frikort may be paper or electronic – if you choose to use electronic frikort, it may not be visible if you’re seeking help in other regions than yours.
What is not included?
The high-cost protection usually does not apply to the following:
- vaccinations
- certificates and health examinations
- a missed visit
- costs for copies of your record.
The high-cost cover usually does not also apply to the fees you pay per day when you are hospitalised. It also does not usually apply to the dispatch fees that are charged if you pay on credit or receive an invoice sent home.
High-cost cover when you are hospitalised
If you are admitted to hospital you pay a fee which, according to law, may not exceed SEK 130 per day. In some regions, there are further restrictions on how much you have to pay when you are hospitalised, for example if you are hospitalised for a longer period of time. In 2024, all regions set the fee with SEK 140 per working day (except Jämtland Härjedalen where it’s SEK 120).
High-cost protection for medicines
Most prescription drugs and some non-prescription drugs are included in the high-cost cover for drugs. Medicines within the high-cost cover are free of charge for children under the age of 18.
The high-cost cover means that you pay a maximum of SEK 2,850 over a period of twelve months. It applies from the first purchase. This year is called a high cost period. The high-cost protection applies to the vast majority of medicines that you get on prescription.
This is how the high cost ladder works:
- You pay full price up to SEK 1,425. After that, the discount system comes into play.
- Between SEK 1,426 and SEK 2,720, you pay 50 percent of the drug cost, until you have paid SEK 2,072.
- Between SEK 2,721 and SEK 5,054, you pay 25 percent of the drug cost, until you have paid SEK 2,655.
- Between SEK 5,055 and SEK 6,993, you pay 10 percent of the drug cost, until you have paid SEK 2,850.
Free medicines within high-cost cover
For some medicines, you do not pay a co-payment.
- You pay nothing for insulin if you have insulin-treated diabetes.
- In the case of diseases covered by the Infection Control Act, the region pays the entire cost of medicines that reduce infectiousness. This applies, for example, to antiviral drugs against HIV.
- Children under the age of 18 pay nothing for medicines included in the high-cost cover.
- You pay nothing for contraceptives included in the high-cost cover when you are under 21 years of age.
- You pay nothing for consumables that are needed to inject medicine into the body and to monitor your medication yourself. Examples of such consumables are syringes and sticks for blood sugar measurement.
Costs in dental care
Dental care is free of charge up to and including the year you turn 23. That includes pretty much all examinations and treatments, and it doesn’t matter if you go to a private dentist or to Folktandvården.
In dental care, different rules apply for fees and a different high-cost protection than in health care. You pay a larger part of the cost yourself. In the case of, among other things, certain diseases and functional impairments, you can get dental care at the same fees as in normal healthcare.
More about dental care costs you can read in this article.
Free services in Swedish healthcare system
Some healthcare is completely free of charge. However, you must pay for the medicines prescribed during these visits.
Here are examples of care that is free of charge:
- Visits to childcare centres, BVC – barnvårdscentralen, are free of charge.
- Visits to midwife clinics for pregnant women are free of charge.
- The examinations with mammography that women over 40 are regularly called to are free of charge.
- The gynecological pap smears that women over 23 are regularly called to are free of charge.
- You who have turned 85 or older do not pay a fee for outpatient care.
- In most regions, children and young people up to their 20th birthday do not pay a fee for outpatient care, for example when visiting a health center or a youth clinic. In some regions other age limits apply.
- In school health care, you or your child do not pay a visit fee. The vaccinations offered there are free of charge.
- You who have a so-called public health disease do not have to pay for examinations, care and treatment that reduce the risk of the spread of infection.
Online access to Swedish Healthcare System
For patients in whole Sweden who want to know more about Swedish healthcare system and look up their treatment history, there is a service of 1177.se.
On this website, you can find many useful information about functioning of Swedish healthcare system and treatment procedures for a broad variety of illnesses and injuries as well as prevention measures (unfortunately, vast majority of them is in Swedish).
After logging in to your account (using BankID or Freja+), you get access to many healthcare services – time booking, ordering self-test kits, etc. but what’s most important, you can read your journal that contains full history of your medical treatments (what you can see there depends on the region – not all regions use all available services on 1177.se).
There is also app available for Android and iOS mobile devices.
If you are not happy with Swedish healthcare system
Like everywhere, also in Sweden it can happen you are not happy with recieved treatment. There are plenty of ways to deal with this situation:
- Change your primary healthcare clinic – you can do this in person, by post or using 1177.se services.
- Contact the reception where you received care or treatment.
- Contact the patient committee in your region.
- Certain incidents can be reported to the Inspectorate for Care and Care, IVO.
- You can also report incidents to the Discrimination Ombudsman or the police, if your complaints concern something that could be discriminatory or criminal.
Swedish healthcare system if you come from other countries
You always have the right to care that you need immediately, if you come from another country and fall ill during a temporary visit to Sweden. It’s the kind of care that can’t wait until you get home again. How much you have to pay depends, among other things, on which country you come from
What is called necessary care also includes care for, for example, chronic diseases. You are entitled to this if, for example, you are insured in a country that is part of the EU. It is the healthcare staff who assess what care you need. However, if you travel to Sweden to seek care, other conditions apply (then it’s called planned care).
More about access to Swedish healthcare system as non-Swedish resident you’ll read soon in another article.
Pharmacies in Sweden
If you get prescribed any medicined, the prescription lands in your patient account. It would be visible through 1177.se but also in pharmacies in whole Sweden. You can order your medicines online by logging in with your BankID on pharmacy’s website.
If you choose to buy your medicines in person, you usually need to take a lap with queue number at the entrance (it says Recept). YOu’ll be able to talk to pharmacist who will look up your prescriptions in the system, offer replacements and carry out the transaction. They will inform you about your dosing ans answer any questions that you may have regarding your medicines.
Evaluation of the Swedish healthcare system
Swedish healthcare system is considering in general as well-functioning. According both to WHO (World Health Organisation) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Sweden offers good access to high-quality healtcare. Moreover, Karolinska University Hospital took 7th place in the global best hospital ranking in 2024 where over 2400 hospitals from 30 countries were considered.
Strong points of Swedish healthcare system:
- Preventive measures go first – Swedish healthcare is focused more on prevention what means the general health level in society is good and the need to use healthcare services is lower.
- Universal access – everyone, no matter what is their personal, professional and economical situation has right to use healthcare services.
- High-cost protection – residents are sure they will not pay more than the set amount of money so it encourages them to seek help when they need to.
Disadvantages of Swedish healthcare system:
- Decentralisation – it causes troubles in terms of coordination between regions when all management shifts and changes so often and quickly.
- Long waiting times – long waiting times for specific types of treatment are criticised however in comparison to many other countries the situation is not that bad.
I hope now the Swedish healthcare system is less of a mystery and you know how to navigate this system. Feel free to share this post with your friends and in case of any questions, drop them in the comments below.
