Response to interpellation 2024/25:8 on the Social Insurance Agency's conditions for managing the sickness insurance
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns Försäkringskassan's conditions for managing the sickness insurance. M argues that the government has taken measures to shorten processing times through historical supplements of 900 million kronor for the current year as well as additional billions for coming years 1. M emphasizes that the agency needs stability and that the funds should strengthen the core operations, increase accessibility, and combat benefit fraud 1 2. M believes that Försäkringskassan has had deficits due to inflation and increased case volumes. M argues that the agency's management is responsible for the implementation of the goals 2. M argues that the supplements are a long-term investment that aligns with S's budget motion 3. S welcomes that the government is increasing the appropriations to Försäkringskassan 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)
Madam Speaker! Arber Gashi has asked me how I view the connection between the government's administrative grants, the staff reductions at Försäkringskassan, and the increased processing times that are now affecting many on sick leave, and if I intend to take any actions based on my assessment.
Arber Gashi has also asked me if I have taken the initiative to conduct an analysis of how long the processing times for sickness benefit cases are as a result of the government's policy and if I can, in that case, account for the result.
In order for the social insurance system to be and be perceived as credible, it is required that the benefits paid out reach the right person or the right company at the right time. Processing times are long, and the caseloads are high for several benefits. Försäkringskassan needs to prioritize the core operations so that waiting times for individuals are shortened in both processing and telephony without legal certainty being risked for that reason.
The Government has taken several measures to address the problem of long processing times. Among other things, the appropriation credit was increased to 6 percent, and now we are making further investments for the current year. We are adding 445 million kronor in the autumn budget. This means that the total additional funds amount to 900 million for the current year 2024.
In the 2025 budget, an additional 820 million kronor is proposed for Försäkringskassan, which has not received such large supplements since the beginning of the 2010s. The government's line in this case is very clear. Processing times shall decrease, accessibility shall increase, and the work against incorrect payments and benefit crimes shall be strengthened.
It is also important to create a long-term perspective where Försäkringskassan receives stability over time. Therefore, we propose that the agency should be allocated not only 820 million kronor for next year but also over 800 million kronor for 2026 and 726 million kronor for 2027. We do this to strengthen the core operations and the implementation of certain reforms. The funds shall, of course, go towards concentrating resources in the core operations and lead to shorter processing times and better accessibility by telephone.
The extensive supplements that the government is now making will give Försäkringskassan good conditions to work vigorously to specifically reduce processing times, strengthen the service, and reduce incorrect payments and benefit fraud. I expect, Madam Speaker, that Försäkringskassans management now takes the measures required to reverse the development that we have unfortunately seen.
Arber Gashi (S)
Madam Speaker! I would like to thank Minister Anna Tenje for the answer, but I can only conclude that Anna Tenje seems quite satisfied with how the situation looks or perhaps does not quite see the problems when it comes to what Försäkringskassan's conditions have been over the last two years and what consequences that has had and leads to for the agency.
My question to the Minister was how the Minister views the connection between the government's appropriations to Försäkringskassan and its staff reductions and long processing times. I received no answer on this. I also asked how long processing times our insured patients can expect with the government's pursued policy. We received no answer on that either.
Today we see the consequences of the government's management of Försäkringskassan. In just two years, we have seen dramatically increased processing times, which has meant that sick people are forced to wait unreasonably long for news regarding their economic security. At this very moment, there are waiting times of almost 50 days for the processing of new, initiated sickness benefit cases. And if you have wanted to call in to find out how it is going and what is happening with your case, you have many times not been able to get through, because there are too many people calling and too few answering the phone at Försäkringskassan. They do not have time. It is not acceptable.
The media reports on cases where people with serious illnesses have had to wait several months for a decision on sickness benefit despite the medical certificates clearly showing their need for support and giving them the right to sickness benefit. One example is a woman with chronic pain who waited for over four months to have her case processed. During that time, she was without any economic income and was forced to take out loans to manage everyday life.
This situation, where the sick are left in economic insecurity, is completely undignified - especially in a time when the government lowers taxes for those with the very highest incomes, including themselves, to such an extent that the Finance Minister does not even know herself where she has put her own tax cuts. Now we are talking about ordinary people who have to twist and turn every last krona while waiting for news on whether they will be able to pay their rent next month or not.
The government has underfunded Försäkringskassan, which has led to a staff shortage and mass layoffs. It has also led to the rule of law being compromised, because when the number of employees decreases - today Försäkringskassan has approximately 13,000 employees, but that is 1,700 fewer than just a few years ago - and expectations remain high, one ends up in a very pressured situation.
I hear voices from Försäkringskassan that it occurs that employees have started selectively choosing which cases they handle in order to show their superiors that they have made decisions and at the same time avoid cases that require more extensive investigation. This leads to those who today have the greatest need not receiving help first, and it is very serious.
This is a consequence of the government's pursued policy, where the Minister's rhetoric until now has actually many times been that we need to have cost-effective agencies in Sweden, as well as that the situation is bad and pressured but that it could have been worse. I therefore ask the Minister once again: How do you in the government view the connection between your pursued policy, increased processing times, mass layoffs, and that the rule of law is being compromised in the handling of the sickness insurance?
Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)
Madam Speaker! The member's historical description and statements regarding cuts at Försäkringskassan do not match.
As I explained in my opening remarks, the government has taken several measures to specifically strengthen the situation. We have increased the appropriation credit by 6 percent, and we have added 900 million kronor for the current year. We have now also submitted proposals in the budget of 820 million for 2025, with a continuation in 2026 and 2027. It is therefore an addition to Försäkringskassan at a level that we have not seen since Fredrik Reinfeldt was Prime Minister in Sweden.
However, Försäkringskassan has had a deficit, which has been due to cost increases - not least in connection with inflation - and also due to an increased influx of cases within certain benefits. I believe that everyone in this chamber, up in the gallery and outside this hall, is in complete agreement that we need to have a well-functioning social insurance agency. There are many people who depend on the payments and that they occur on time; that is not to be underestimated. Those who are entitled to social insurance benefits must also receive them, and long processing times are in many cases devastating.
Even though the historical description from the member's side regarding the added funds and so on, as stated, was not entirely correct, I agree that the processing times have been far too long. I say that today, and I have also said it several times before in this chamber. But now, historical additions have been made to Försäkringskassan, and this creates good conditions both here and now and moving forward, which is very important. We must, in fact, have cost-effective authorities to ensure sustainability in the system even in the future. It is not only here and now that Försäkringskassan shall fulfill its core mission, but it also applies to the coming years.
The supplements we are now making are worth mentioning again. They are 900 million for the current year, 820 for next year, and thereafter 800 for 2026 and 700 for 2027. These are historical supplements. I must also say that I am extra glad that the member and his own party really seem to agree with the analysis that the government has made and the budget that we have presented together with the Sverigedemokraterna. The Socialdemokraterna have, in their investments, landed on exactly the same sums as those the government is now presenting in its budget.
It must nevertheless be clear that we are in complete agreement on the situation Försäkringskassan finds itself in and what supplements are required for them to fulfill their core mandate, shorten processing times, and focus on the important issues. This applies to both the core mandate and, of course, ensuring that we work much more proactively with incorrect payments and benefit fraud.
Arber Gashi (S)
Madam Speaker! The government's management of Försäkringskassan has led to a flight of personnel. It is a direct consequence of misguided budget policy. When employees are overburdened and resources are insufficient, it affects not only the sick but also those who work within the system.
Madam Speaker! It was not so long ago that I myself welcomed Minister Tenje to the Försäkringskassan office in Halmstad. It was in April last year. I have been an immensely proud colleague there, and I know what fantastic work is being done when the conditions are good. I told the Minister about the major reorganization that the sickness insurance has undergone and which, while it was ongoing, was the largest reorganization in Swedish public administration.
I also spoke about newly recruited staff, but just in time for the summer, the announcement came that all recruited employees would be dismissed. Within the span of a week, 500 employees were let go. Today, people are talking about hiring exactly the same number. At the same time as the health insurance underwent a very large reorganization, which had been planned and prepared for for several years, they pulled the emergency brake. It is a most strange personnel policy from the government's side.
The frustration and confusion regarding the sudden changes have been palpable at the agency. I know that, because I was there. We had employees in Halmstad who had only managed to work for a couple of days. They had resigned from their previous jobs, were full of energy and were curious about their new jobs at one of Sweden's largest agencies - only to be told to leave on the same day. They were left with increased interest rates, increased rents, and increased food prices.
Now they are to be recruited again, and then there are many who hesitate as to whether they dare to send in that job application to Försäkringskassan. How secure is the employment, really? Can I be sure that I have a job in a week or a few months? Can I count on not being dismissed again?
In all this, it is not even those who have been dismissed who are hit hardest. It is those on sickness insurance who, due to mass layoffs, have had to wait unreasonably long to receive their decision, or for a reassuring call from an insurance investigator confirming that their application has been received and that a decision will soon be made in their case.
The employees at Försäkringskassan have turned themselves inside out in recent years. They have not only become fewer but have also faced a worsened work environment in the form of, for example, reduced wellness allowances. One thing Försäkringskassan has worked on in recent years is to improve the public's trust in the agency. Approximately half of Swedes have quite little, or very little, trust in Försäkringskassan; that is a figure from 2022. Work has also been done very hard on the employer brand.
Does the Minister of Justice consider that confidence is improving or worsening with the policy pursued so far in relation to Försäkringskassan?
Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)
Madam Speaker! I must take the opportunity to thank the member for the very pleasant visit to the Försäkringskassan office in Halmstad. It is a bit back in time, but it is still very present. We were there then. Now we both stand in this chamber.
As the member surely knows, the state management of agencies takes place primarily through budgets and regulatory letters. The Government submits proposals to the Riksdag regarding funds for the agency, and exactly how the agency then works to achieve the goals based on the allocated funds is up to the agency's management. It is the director-general, managers, and employees at Försäkringskassan who together constitute the operations, and it is also there that the decisions on implementation lie.
On Försäkringskassan's website, the long processing times and the various benefits are presented clearly. The situation varies and looks different for the different benefits. The priorities also look different depending on which benefits it concerns - those which are most numerous and in greatest need.
I note that the member and his own party still arrive at the same analysis, the same economic allocation, and the same conclusion as the government regarding the funds allocated to Försäkringskassan. I find that pleasing. It indicates that there can be long-term stability and that good economic conditions can be maintained. When this chamber then passes reforms, money is also sent that can finance these reforms over a longer period. In that case, a large deficit is not built up in the long run, which would cause the agency to end up in a difficult economic situation. This must be avoided if long-term stability is to be achieved, if processing times can be kept down, and if the focus can remain on the core operations.
There is also a built-up need regarding several other things that the government at that time failed to deliver on over a period of eight years. Part of the new assignments that Försäkringskassan is working on, and which are truly prioritized from the government's side, is to combat benefit fraud and incorrect payments. In that matter, we have had to make a very large leap. As recently as today, we made a decision at the government meeting to give Försäkringskassan and Pensionsmyndigheten the possibility to freeze assets for companies and criminal individuals who have acquired large economic gains at the taxpayers' expense.
The money must not be able to be hidden away and sent out of the country, but now we can put a muzzle on them, freeze the money and demand it back for the taxpayers and our welfare system. Those who truly have a right to compensation, benefits and grants shall actually receive them. They shall end up in their pockets, not in the criminals'.
There has been a great, built-up need here. It has been far too little, too late, from the previous government. We have now taken many different measures, and in the budget for 2025, we are therefore adding 130 million kronor to Försäkringskassan to further strengthen the agency. Added to that is now legislation concerning both confidentiality and cooperation between agencies to reduce subsidy crimes and incorrect payments. But the 820 million shall primarily go to the core mission: to ensure that processing times are shortened, that those who are entitled to compensations and benefits receive them, and that they receive them on time. It is urgent and important.
Arber Gashi (S)
Madam Speaker! I would like to welcome here in my concluding remarks that the government will increase the appropriations to Försäkringskassan in the coming years.
The Minister spoke several times about long-term perspective and sustainability. I cannot for the life of me understand the long-term perspective or the logic in forcing through 500 layoffs one year only to hire just as many the next year. Where is the long-term perspective in that?
I have all respect for the fight against inflation, but this government has completely tone-deafly cut back on public administration, agencies, healthcare, and school. At the same time, they have lowered taxes for the very richest and for themselves. There has been money to lower taxes but not to have a health insurance to rely on.
The unpredictability of the appropriations creates very large problems. It becomes harder to recruit employees, and trust is damaged. Above all, already vulnerable people are affected, who are placed in an even worse situation.
Sick student assistants, carpenters, or nurses do not expect any luxury or preferential treatment. They expect to be treated with dignity and respect, to receive a legally sound decision, and to be able to access the insurance that they themselves help pay for when misfortune strikes and they become ill. It is a service that must function, completely regardless of what the inflation looks like. People cannot plan when they will become sick. Our safety net must be there when we actually need it.
I have full confidence in the management of Försäkringskassan and that they continue to work as actively as they have in recent years to address processing times and everything else, but the government's way of handling the everyday lives of sick people in one of the largest cost crises in many years has been highly remarkable. It remains to be seen how long the Sverigedemokraterna can withstand the Moderaterna's many proposals for deteriorations in the sickness insurance. I will only say: To be continued.
Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)
Madam Speaker! There we were again, with a somewhat narrow and incorrect historical description. The member is once again speaking of cuts to Försäkringskassan. Let me repeat that it concerns 6 percent in appropriation credit, 900 million for the current year and 820 million for next year. This is also a long-term investment. These are investments that, on the penny, correspond to the Social Democrats' own budget motion in this chamber.
The Social Democrats, therefore, arrive at exactly the same analysis, the same appropriation, and the same supplement to Försäkringskassan, yet I still hear this criticism. If there had been any sense in it all and it had been about a much larger appropriation, both previously and in the current budget motion, there might still have been some basis for the criticism. But the Social Democrats arrive at exactly the same conclusion, and then it is difficult to say that one could have done anything differently. It would have been exactly the same thing.
It is at least pleasing that the Social Democrats, for once, agree with the government's analysis. I would like to thank you for this interpellation. I think it is extremely important to - much, often and for a long time - discuss the social insurance system as such and Försäkringskassan's important role. When misfortune strikes and people need help and support, we in Sweden have a social insurance system that is there. It must work.
The supplements that Försäkringskassan will now receive shall serve three purposes. Firstly, it concerns the core mission and ensuring that processing times are shortened. Secondly, accessibility shall increase. Thirdly, the work against incorrect payments and benefit fraud shall be strengthened, so that the system's legitimacy can be maintained and become even stronger.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.