“Issues related to how health care and elderly care should be organized and financed in the future are currently more relevant than ever. In order to address the medical and demographic challenges facing us in the future, we need to be able to discuss these often emotional and ethical issues. I hope that this research project initiated by SNS will contribute to making progress in this field,” says Martin Engström, director of health care in Region Halland and chair of the reference group.
Gabriella Chirico Willstedt serves as the research director of this project, explaining that its starting point is the fact that the Swedish welfare system is facing a growing financing problem, as those in the labor force need to support an increasing non-working-age population. An aging population implies that there will be a greater need for health care and elderly care in the coming years. Furthermore, the demand for welfare services tends to rise as society gets richer. At the same time, tax revenues will increase at a lower rate as the proportion of the working-age population is decreasing. Urbanization also means that conditions vary significantly between metropolitan regions and sparsely populated areas.
The project “Organizing and Financing Health Care and Elderly Care” is launched by SNS in order to contribute with new knowledge related to these problems and how they may be solved. The project will run for three years, starting in the spring of 2021.
“We will focus on how we can organize and finance health care and elderly care in a suitable manner, while also analyzing the significance of the Covid pandemic for this sector in both the short and the long term,” says Gabriella Chirico Willstedt.
These issues will be explored in about a dozen reports to be written by external researchers linked to the project. The first report will be published already this fall, studying regional differences in the consumption of health care and pharmaceuticals. At the beginning of next year, Mikael Svensson, professor of applied health economics, will publish a report on governance aimed at ensuring that the health care being offered provides high patient value. Furthermore, SNS will continuously organize seminars on key themes related to the project as a way of offering a venue for exchanging knowledge and experiences.
“I’m very happy that we have been able to link so much expertise to this project through its reference group. It shows that SNS enjoys a great deal of trust while also ensuring that we will be able to contribute with new knowledge where it’s most beneficial,” says Gabriella Chirico Willstedt.
The project’s reference group includes:
Malin Appelgren, Head of Growth, Vardaga
Magnus Back, Managing Director Nordic Countries, Getinge
Lisa Bondesson, Head of Policy Analysis, Swedish Municipal Workers’ Union
Peder Carlsson, Head of Department, Swedish Health and Social Care Inspectorate
Kerstin Falck, Director of Public Affairs, Pfizer
Caroline Ekstrand, Administrator, Vinnova
Martin Engström, Director of Health Care, Region Halland
Eva Erlandsson, Senior Advisor, Insurance Sweden
Kristina Hagström, Health Strategist, Skandia
Livia Holm, Director of Policy, Kry
Suzanne Håkansson, Senior Director Government Affairs Europe and Nordic, Astra Zeneca
Ejja Häman Aktell, Head of Elderly Care, Skellefteå Municipality
Nils Janlöv, Project Director, Swedish Agency for Health and Care Services Analysis
Ann Johansson, Vice President, Swedish Association of Health Professionals
Erik Lagersten, Director Change Management, Region Västra Götaland
Monica Lindstedt, Chairperson of the Board, Hemfrid
Sverker Lönnerholm, Deputy Director, Swedish Ministry of Finance
Iréne Nilsson Carlsson, Senior Public Health Adviser, Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare
Carina Olson, CEO, Praktikertjänst
Daniel Persson, Head of Innovation, Min Doktor
Elisabet Rendahl, Research Coordinator, Region Stockholm
Stefan Svanström, Head of Community Communications, Attendo
Marie Tid, Head of Elderly Care, Täby Municipality
Marina Tuutma, Second Vice-Chairperson, Swedish Medical Association
Annika Wallenskog, CFO, Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions
Lena Hensvik, Professor of Economics at Uppsala University, serves as a representative of the SNS Scientific Council.
Read more about the project Organizing and financing health care and elderly care