Social Democrats are being accused of hypocrisy regarding the increased prices of medication. This is because the party, in its shadow budget, despite criticizing the Tidö government, has allocated the same amount for medication benefits as the government has done.
– A rather ugly behavior, says Moderate politician Peter Johansson.

Starting from July 1st this year, the so-called self-payment in the high-cost protection for medication will be raised. This means that the annual cost for medication from then on will be a maximum of 3,800 SEK per year, instead of the current 2,900 SEK. This has been decided by the government.

The background is that the state’s costs for the high-cost protection have increased significantly. In 2015, the state budgeted 21 billion SEK for medication. In this year’s budget, that amount has risen to 41 billion SEK. In the coming years, the government expects a continued significant increase.

– The development regarding the state’s costs for medication has been sharp, stated Minister of Health and Social Affairs Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD) at a press conference on Monday.

State Pays a Larger Share

It is not only the costs that have increased. The proportions of how much the individual and the state pay for the medication have also changed. Ten years ago, the state covered about two-thirds of the total medication costs. Today, that share has risen to three-quarters.

Thus, an increasingly larger share of the medication cost is covered by tax money. This is also a reason why the government wants to raise the self-payment.

– There is a big difference between what the state has paid in increased medication costs and what the patient has paid, says Acko Ankarberg Johansson.

The government argues that it is important to raise the self-payment in order to, as it calls it, “ensure a stable and sustainable financing of the medication system over time”.

“A Rather Ugly Behavior”

The government’s increase in self-payment in the high-cost protection is criticized by the opposition. Criticism has come particularly from the Social Democratic Party.

“S rejects the proposed deteriorations. The government and SD are betraying the sick and the elderly”, former Minister for Social Security Annika Strandhäll writes, for example, on the social media platform X. The post continues:

“No one should be forced to choose between medicine and being able to afford food. At the same time, they have prioritized significant tax cuts for those with the highest incomes.”

But this is a criticism that Gävle Moderate Peter Johansson considers to be hypocrisy. The reason is that the government and the Social Democrats have allocated exactly the same amount for the cost item Benefits for Medication in their budget motion as the government has in its budget proposal.

– It is a rather ugly behavior to complain about something where their own budget does not differ at all from the government’s, says Peter Johansson to Samnytt.

– This is not the first time they have done so.

Left and Green Party Do Differently

However, two parliamentary parties have budgeted differently from the government’s current high-cost protection, as those parties do not want to raise the self-payment.

– Both the Left Party and the Green Party have budgeted to allocate more money in their budgets, points out Peter Johansson.

– The Social Democrats know that we have a majority in the parliament and that they will not get their budget approved. Then they can go all out and engage in mudslinging rather than laying out a proper budget.

Samnytt has contacted the Social Democrats by both phone and email. The party has not responded.