Dispelling Six Misconceptions About Sweden

DB10.

I will come back by.

I am asleep.

:)

I read the article and since I'd never actually heard anything bad about Sweden, I was really pleasantly surprised to read all of the good points you mentioned. A question for you - is there anything about the US that you miss and this is just asked out of curiousity.
Oh, one more thing. (another question) Along with Universal Healthcare (I'm drooling, I have no insurance!), does Sweden use more natural health care and are they more tolerant of it than the US? Thanks!

Marilyn, there are quite a few things I miss about the US, and have been thinking about doing an article on that very topic.

As far as health care goes, Swedish doctors are all for anything that is beneficial to the population. Natural cures are preferred above medical procedures since the goal here t actually keep people healthy rather than to make the big bucks like in the US.

Thanks, Lori,
I wish you would do that article and if it's not on here, either post the link or send it to me. I know other European countries are much more health-conscious than the US is, who doesn't recognise most of the natural health care products that we can use to help ourselves. I wouldn't miss that from here to there.

Thanks, Lori. For my next life I choose Sweden!

My mother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins were born in Sweden--all the relatives on my mother's side of the family. Many of them, like my mother, came to the US as teenagers or young adults (my grandmother was a little older). Some others stayed in Sweden. Two of my aunts and one of my uncles lived in Sweden until they died and I still have cousins living there with their children. My mother often commented on how Sweden changed a lot between when she grew up there and the present time. Incidentally, she was almost black haired, blue eyed, and only 4' 11" tall. Not the usual image people have of Swedish people. Your article might be factual but I found the way you wrote it to be rather rude and sarcastic. I wouldn't expect that of a writer.

I've never lived overseas, but I would really love to at some point in my life. It's scary to think how the US can spin certain propaganda or at least perpetuate ignorant views about other countries. I've never heard rude things about Sweden but reading your article, it's clear that people have unsubstantiated views about the country. What really caught my attention is that Swedish folks live longer because they don't eat fast food all of the time, they are connected to the earth, and their health care is superior. The food and the disconnection from the natural are two areas that really interest me--I see a push around here (NJ) to return to holistic healing, whole foods, and outdoor activities. It sounds like Sweden is far ahead of the game!

Lori, this is great, great, great. I do wish #4 were true, though!

Another health care question (forgive me if I missed this in the article) -- are prescription prices as obscene as they are here? I have to pick up an injectable drug shortly that runs about $130 for 2 shots; I have a pill I take thrice a day that's $3 a pill; and a good antimigraine agent is over $25 a pill.
Also, if the answer to the question above is a positive one, is it difficult to learn the language? :)

Janet... you have never read a sarcastic writer? Ever? Really?

I find that amazing...

Kris...

I really do not know the answer to that. I do know that things like Paracetamol are available as OTCs and not expensive at all, but no clue on your particular meds.

I've always seen Sweden as the ideal, politically.

Me too, Jessica ;)

Janet... To be fair, it has changed a lot, and not for the better. Things are beginning to show a bit of roughness since so many people have begun to migrate to the country. It is very sad... and makes me downright angry every time I see an imigrant disrespect this country by tossing trash out the window or something.

I can probably answer the med question because I guess it peobably is similar to Norways. yes meds are expensive in Scandinavia too BUT you have a certain limit to hom much per year you pay for doctors appointments, travels to hospital etc and neccesarry meds and once you are over that limit you do not pay. That changes from year to year or rather from who sits in office. Probably something similar in Sweden. Non prescription meds you pay full for. Same for most of health store meds and vitamin supplements unless prescribed by a doctor. I think germany is the European country which is most open to homeopathy and acupuncture and similar when it comes to getting welfare state coverage for expences.

For 2007 in Norway that amount is 1660NKR. Devide it by 6 and you get the USD

Another annecdote. I think US mixes socialism with social democracy which are very very different. Basically believing in that is believing in a welfare state evening out the worst differences and making sure everyone has the same health and school opportunities. By the way even UNI is free, all get the same amount as financial help and if your parents are very low income you get more. basically the safety net IS THERE.

The bad thing is that it being there reduces the need to be innovative.

The second thing about the scandinavian system which is special ( unfortunately being attached these days) is the system where workers unions and owners unions has for many many years built up systems for talking together and working together. As Lori said, happy workers work better and help find solutions.

I was shocked by one thing. Do you relaly mean that you do not get paid over time? After the 37.5h/week ( half hour luch break not included) I get 150% per hour. And I can say no. Do you not get paid overtime in US?????

Very interesting article. I didn't realise Americans had such a negative view of the Swedes but it shouldn't surprise me. I appreciate your comments about socialism and the fact that most Americans have no clue as to what is true socialism.
I get sick and tired of the BS about how Canada has 'Socialised Medicine'! It's universal Health care! There may be some problems in the system, most likely because Canada is so closely linked to the US, but it still works better than no Healthcare!
My only regret, and what keeps me here in Texas is the climate... I hate the cold and have no desire to move back anywhere that gets snow for any length of time! :)

Trine, you and I posted at the same time but I can answer your question about overtime. If you are a salaried employee they don't pay you overtime, if you work hourly you make get time and a half for working overtime. If you live in a "Right to work" state it may be at the whim of your employer as to whether or not you get overtime. In states where Unions are strong overtime is paid to most workers.

I'm can answer questions about health care here in Sweden!
Was thinking about it earlier today. Gonna write down some prices and stuff now and post here. If you don't mind?

Visit to doctor: 21 dollars (150skr)
Visit other than doctor: 14 dollars (100skr)
Visit ER: 43 dollars (300skr)

This is what you pay every time, regardless what they do or how long time it takes. It includes all operations, Xray, injections, everything!
Children up to 18 years is free.

If you have to stay at hospital it costs 11 dollars (80skr) /day. It includes 5 meals/day. And of course all medicin, medical examination, operations, X-rays and so on.

When you have paid total 114 dollars (800skr) you go free to the doctor for 1 year from the first visit.

The cost of my sons delivery and 4 days at hospital was 55 dollars (400skr.) And that includes 5 meals/day.

Medicin is mostly cheap, not all. When you reach a total of 256 dollars (1800skr) you get free medicin for the rest of the 1 year period.

(The sums is not exactly, based on todays currency)

Thanks muchly to Trine and Sarah ;)

can write about social wellfare later today (is it called so??)

Yeah Sarah, by people who have never stepped foot in Scandinavia and are clueless. The US has long pushed a huge batch of lies about Sweden, and other countries.

Interesting -- I have never heard any of those.

Just to shock a few folks, I am in the processing of writing an article about why Sweden's wonderful ideals and way of life are both to be tossed out the window..

The quality of American healthcare is, indeed, delusional. We have the most expensive in the world and the most irrational financing (though wasn't it one of the Founding Fathers who said that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure?)

Although I think that Hillary Clinton's healthcare reform plan was very far from perfect, I was maddened that Bob Dole got away with deriding its complexity requiring a large chart. As someone who worked in billing healthcare for more than a decade, I wish that someone had challenged him to produce a chart of the current system. That would have taken at least three full walls, even without getting into the mysteries of why the same procedure for persons with the same insurance were paid differently.

Very good article! I love sweden because it created Peter Stormare *drool* and his amazing accent. I also think that the reason he is such a great actor is because he doesnt have some of the American hang ups for example he is always very affectionate it seems and isnt afraid to touch his co-workers and is so comfortable getting close and being a goofball!

I also think that the above question about natural healthcare was geared towards a holistic approach at least that is what my opinion had been on it, that other cultures often take a more holistic approach to medicine which can sometimes be good if you also have another option, but in Russia I believe, that is often the only choice you have. think i saw a show on it once saying yeah universal healthcare is a good "idea" but not when ALL you have is chrystal healing and such. But it seems you have already pointed out that it is not ONLY that kind of healthcare in Sweden. (and please dont get me wrong holistic healthcare is great for your healing power but often times other things are needed)

Don't you know that "the land of the free" is the greatest and bestest at everything? The highest industrialized nation's infant mortality is part of the survival of the fittest that will make us competitive despite the abysmal lack of interest in the rest of the world, ignorance about geography, and inability to grow our own engineers (etc.!).

HA!

Lori, are you saying Sweden has a higher infant mortality rate? If the U.S. is ranked lower than Sweden, I think that is a good thing for the U.S. and bad for Sweden. Also, are those stats infant deaths as a percentage of total population, or are they aggregate numbers? The U.S. has a larger population so it does not surprise me that it would have a higher infant mortality. However, the U.S. may have a lower "percentage per total population" of infant deaths than Sweden.

Anyway, I am glad you are happy there. You may as well be. :-)

It is rated as how many deaths per 100 births. The US has way more infant deaths than Sweden per 100 births. Total population has nothing to do with it.

Some charts rank by most deaths, which is what you found, but others rank by least deaths, and that is what I refer to. Either way, healthcare quality in the US is horrible.

However, Sweden has a higher percentage of ski/snowboard deaths than Phoenix Arizona. So there!

HA!

I truly envy Sweden's universal health care and loathe the USAns who spread the myths that the US system is the world's best. It just plain isn't. It sucks.