Correspondent: Roosa Tikkanen, the Commonwealth Fund
Health care is among the top priorities in the Swedish government’s budget proposal for 2018. Overall, the proposal devotes SEK 4.7 billion ($592 million) to health care. One billion kronor is earmarked for strengthening primary care coordination, particularly for patients with complex care needs, over three years (2018–2021). Another one billion kronor per year will be invested in maternity care over the next four years. The proposal also prioritizes mental health, increasing the budget allocation from 650 million kronor in 2018 to more than one billion kronor in years 2019 and 2020. In addition, the government has proposed making free Pap screenings available to all women.
