Thesis and Outline for Course Project

Healthcare in Sweden

Rachel Urvina

Rasmussen College

This paper is being submitted on July 31, 2016 for Monica Vargas H440 International Healthcare course

Healthcare in Sweden

The average life span of citizens in Sweden is estimated at approximately eighty-three and eighty years for women and men respectively. This state of affairs is mainly attributed to the efficient and accessible health care. The country was rated 10th in Europe in its healthcare core implying that it has one of the efficient systems around the world.

Annotated bibliography

Ahgren, B., & Axelsson, R. (2011). A decade of integration and collaboration: the development

of integrated health care in Sweden 2000–2010. International Journal of Integrated Care,

11(5).

Ahgren and Axelsson both associate professors at Nordic School focused on the impact of integrated healthcare in Sweden between the year 2000 and 2010. They observe that the step towards integrations was started in 1990. The primary goal was to manage healthcare costs while improving quality. Even though they point out some challenges in this system including fragmentation of health care, they insist that frequent evaluation of the integrated healthcare can help replace failing policies.

Alexander, S. (2010). Humanitarian bottom league? Sweden and the right to health for

undocumented migrants. European Journal of Migration and Law, 12(2), 215-240.

All the sound policies within Sweden have their dark side as Alexander explains in this article. The article makes a particular focus on the restrictive healthcare policies that are discriminatory. For instance, the healthcare policies do not offer access to immigrants who are considered illegal. Alexander, therefore, states that such policies pace the state at odds with the human rights provisions in the international community.

Anell, A., Glenngard, A. H., & Merkur, S. M. (2012). Sweden: Health system review. Health

systems in transition, 14(5), 1-159.

The authors reiterate the fact that Sweden has the best healthcare system because the life expectancy of its citizens is very high. Additionally, the county councils and the municipalities have the responsibilities of ensuring the smooth running of the health facilities within their jurisdiction. Also, healthcare in Sweden is tax funded with 9.9% of the gross domestic product. The country has managed to sustain its quality services to the citizens because it allocates more employees to the healthcare sectors across the board.

Dahlgren, G. (2014). Why public health services? Experiences from profit-driven health care

reform in Sweden. International Journal of Health Services, 44(3), 507-524.

In this article Dahlgren points out the number of reforms that the Swedish government has undertaken since 1990 to 2013. For instance, there were three phases where the government increasing financed the public health institutions to act as private providers. The adoption of this market-oriented approach has largely motivated healthcare providers into controlling minor elements rather than focusing on multiple terminal illnesses.

Ham, C., & Brommels, M. (2014). Health care reform in the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Health Affairs, 13(5), 106-119.

Ham and Brommels compare several reforms that have rocked the health care sector in Sweden, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The note that the United States has several lessons that it can learn from the two countries. They emphasize the fact that these three countries have succeeded because they have made sure that the citizens can access basic health at an affordable cost.

References

Ahgren, B., & Axelsson, R. (2011). A decade of integration and collaboration: the development of integrated health care in Sweden 2000–2010. International Journal of Integrated Care, 11(5).

Alexander, S. (2010). Humanitarian bottom league? Sweden and the right to health for undocumented migrants. European Journal of Migration and Law, 12(2), 215-240.

Anell, A., Glenngard, A. H., & Merkur, S. M. (2012). Sweden: Health system review. Health systems in transition, 14(5), 1-159.

Dahlgren, G. (2014). Why public health services? Experiences from profit-driven health care reforms in Sweden. International Journal of Health Services, 44(3), 507-524.

Ham, C., & Brommels, M. (2014). Health care reform in the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Health Affairs, 13(5), 106-119.