The Welfare Society

The welfare society is about people being able to live a secure life, for example through access to health care, education, and financial support in the event of illness or unemployment. A state can give its residents good welfare when there is sufficient income for the budgets of the state, the regions, and the kommuner. A large share of this money comes from taxes, which make it possible to jointly fund important services such as schools, health care, and roads. Tax is paid not only by people who work, but also, for example, by companies, and there is also a tax (VAT) on goods and services. The more people who work and the more goods and services that are bought and sold, the more money the state, regions, and kommuner receive for welfare. Some welfare services are run by private companies, but they are still funded with tax money.

Examples of different kinds of taxes: income tax (a portion of wages goes to the state, the region, and the kommun as tax), VAT (mervärdesskatt, moms, paid when buying goods and services), and employer contributions (arbetsgivaravgifter, which employers pay to the state for their employees, in addition to wages — this money goes toward, among other things, health insurance and pensions).

The state funds, among other things, pensions, health insurance, parental insurance, unemployment insurance, student aid, and child allowance, as well as higher education and research at universities and colleges. The regions collect tax from their residents and are responsible for health care — they run and fund hospitals and health centers, mainly publicly but also through private care providers funded with tax money. Health care is divided into primary care (health centers, child health centers, and maternity care centers), hospital care (emergency hospitals, county hospitals, and university hospitals, where operations and advanced treatment are carried out, among other things), and other care, such as psychiatric care, rehabilitation, and dental care.

The kommuner have a major responsibility for welfare and decide for themselves how much residents should pay in kommun tax and what the money should be used for. It is the kommun that ensures access to schools and education, and it is the kommun's responsibility that elderly and sick people who cannot manage daily life on their own can get help. Examples of welfare governed by the kommun: childcare (barnomsorg — preschools and after-school programs), schools and education (compulsory school, grundskola, for children between 6 and 16 in every kommun, as well as upper secondary schools and municipal adult education), elderly care (help with practical things in daily life such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, and shopping, as well as personal hygiene — elderly people can remain living at home with support, or move to adapted housing if needed), and social services (socialtjänsten, found in every kommun and responsible for providing support and protection to those who need it, such as care, service, advice, financial assistance, and other aid — this can involve families without enough money, homeless people, people with substance abuse problems, or people exposed to threats and violence; social services can also support people with disabilities and give advice about work and studies).