Development of voluntary private health insurance in Nordic countries – An exploratory study on country-specific contextual factors

The Nordic welfare state ethos starts with the idea that distribution of healthcare resources should be based on individual needs, not on the ability to pay. Despite this, there has been a significant expansion of voluntary private health insurance (VPHI) contracts during the recent decade (Table 1). In terms of healthcare financing, the contribution of VPHI is small [2,5] but the number of people with VPHIs has increased rapidly. This expansion is challenging because VPHI is primarily available to individuals with higher socioeconomic status and better health [2,6].

Source: Health Policy - March 16, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Liina-Kaisa Tynkkynen, Nina Alexandersen, Oddvar Kaarb øe, Anders Anell, Juhani Lehto, Karsten Vrangbӕk Source Type: research