Swedish Public Healthcare Monopoly Fuels Growing Patient Queues

A Swedish editorial argues that the country's publicly funded, non‑competitive health system inevitably creates long waiting lists. The piece notes that without market price signals, costs expand while resources remain insufficient, leading to persistent queues despite rising tax revenues. It references a 1987 parliamentary motion that highlighted rising disease‑related costs and the emergence of queues, attributing them to medical advances and limited tax capacity. Subsequent reforms in the early 1990s reduced staff by about 20 % and cut hospital beds, further straining capacity. The author warns that returning to a monopoly model would repeat these inefficiencies, suggesting that competition or choice may be needed to control costs and improve service delivery.