Hej all, Expat American here, living in Sweden.
I have been a long time lurker at the site and finally registered so I could post something about my experience here in Sweden.
I am a retired Postal Manager, Lifelong Democrat from Central California. I met my wife playing an online game, I cam for a visit and decided that Sweden was a place I would like to live. Everyone here asks why we don't want to live in America.
Democrats Abroad have a strong membership here in Sweden, mostly in Stockholm and Gothenburg, but I belong to a small chapter in Kalmar, on the southern Baltic coast.
http://www.democratsabroad.org/group/sweden
All I can say about the medical system here is the simple fact that it is fantastic. I pay a 12 month maximum of 1100 SEK (about 163 USD) for medical care, and twice that for prescriptions. I was paying almost 600 USD a month for medical and prescriptions in the US. I would fully back single payer for the US.
The United States has a long way to go to catch up with standards here in Europe, especially Scandinavia. The Scandinavian countries always rank high in innovation, prosperity and happiness. Sweden is not perfect, the Swedish Democrat Party is a racist, anti-immigrant party, and they do have a following.
I am currently in Government provided Swedish classes. Most of my classmates are Islamic, everywhere from Somalia and Pakistan to Kurdistan and Chechnya. I feel fortunate to know these people, but I usually tell people I'm From California in the USA, rather than "American" (the Chileans and Brazilians are Americans too, you know).
Anyway, I will be posting from time to time, I sent my ballot in a couple weeks ago and the County Election Department tells me its all good.
Hej Då!
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