ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews reforms introduced in the 1980s and 1990s; aims to outline those reforms relevant to the issue of cost containment, or rather, the operational measure of expenditure development. It describes the development of the Swedish health care system and the reforms introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. The chapter analyses the health expenditure pattern for the period 1980-1994. It discusses overall linkages between developments regarding health care expenditure and the different reforms. In the early 1990s, a more market-oriented approach was substituted for the predominant and earlier focus on planning, need and cost containment as the bases for reform. The structure of the primary health care delivery system, and conditions for private practitioners, was substantially changed by the central government during a short period of time. Developments regarding health care personnel reveal that staff resources have increased during the 1980s, but in the 1990s developments have indeed differed between professional and non-professional groups.
