Even in Sweden health care can be expensive
People in Germany often complain about having to pay too much for health care. And they like to refer to Sweden as a role model for affordable health care. I say that's not always true.
I'm just refreshing my hepatitis A & B vaccination. To get the complete and long term protection, one need three doses. And each cost about 500 kr or 50 Euro (students pay about 400 kr). That makes 1500 kr in total. When you want to make an extensive trip to countries south of the northern hemisphere, you often need more protection than only against hepatitis. Here in Sweden I have to pay for each additional vaccination. That easily can add up to several hundreds of Euros. Now, last year my brother in Germany did get a full protection against all diseases you can imagine - he went to Southeast Asia - and his health care insurance covered all the costs. He told me that this is not common for every insurance company in Germany, however theone he is a member of is far from being a premium one with especially high fees or something like that. I don't write this to complain about the Swedish system. There are a lot other benefits, particularly costs for staying at the hospital and getting surgeries are pretty low as far as I heard. Still, sometimes it is good to highlight the flipside of a system, too. After a few years in Sweden I can say that the German health care system is - from a patients perspective - pretty good. If it's sustainable is a different question.
