17/08/2005 10:39:58 am
Private Welfare Insurance; Better and Cheaper. Another kind of welfare society is possible. Today, in most of Western Europe, the state attempts to do everything for everyone. The result is that it isn′t very good for anyone. And taxes are the highest in the world. Socialists often try to claim that if the state doesn′t do all this, it won′t be done at all. That is not true. If the state doesn′t monopolise things - such as welfare services - numerous private forces will offer their services instead.

The state has not monopolised home insurance (which may be considered important for people′s general welfare) and there are numerous such insurance. And after the Swedish pensions reform - where public levels were substantially reduced - there is now an exploding amount of private pensions insurance. And they give you better offers than the state ever did.

Or health insurance. In Britain, a private health care insurance that covers everything is about 400 euro a year. In Sweden, the most usual group health insurance is about 150-200 euro per person a year. Compare there costs with today′s taxes! And there are no waiting lists. The quality is very good.

Some say that the problem is that some people have to pay more than others. That is not the case for group insurance, but in individual cases, yes. People who exercise and eat right will have lower premiums than smoking people in bad condition. But surely that is largely an advantage. That means you have to have to take responsibility for your life. You can′t push the price for your bad habits to other people.