Private insurances do not create two tiered healthcare

A new Danish study done at the Syddansk University by professor Kjeld Møller Pedersen shows that additional private healthcare insurances do not lead to inequalities in care. The study is the largest in its kind in Denmark and has been conducted with 5000 respondents.

The findings are that those with private health insurance do not use more healthcare than those without neither in the private nor the public sector. The reason for this being questioned in Denmark is that there from 2001 the amount of health insurances paid by the employers have gone from 45.000 to 900.000. During this time there have been quite a lot of discussions on whether this undermines the solidaric healthcare system creating a two tiered system. The researchers now states in Danish media as a result of their findings that this do not seem to be the case.

But I also not that given that one of the reason behind the findings is said to be that many simply just do not use their insurances the employers might want to renegotiate the terms with the insurance companies so that they extras enough for the insured to use what they paid for. And it should be able to offer something better given that even if info in Danish healthcare is quite good – outcomes is another issue.