Last week, concrete proposals were finally made on how health insurance for students can be improved with the publication of the first interim report of the Inquiry Safer and More Efficient Studies inquiry.
This week came the news that the proposal for SGI protection for students will be presented as a bill to the Riksdag. We have previously written about the proposal when the memorandum was sent out.
If all the proposed changes go through, the students' situation will improve, but there is still a lot to do and the work will continue, including in the consultation process. Below, the sub-report's proposal is briefly commented on based on the requirements set by SFS earlier.
Part-time sick leave - 25, 50, 75%
Students will finally be able to take part-time sick leave! In addition to the possibility that currently exists of being on full-time sick leave, the inquiry proposes to make sick leave up to a quarter, to half and to three quarters. Students who are ill will receive the entire study grant, but the student loan will be written off based on the degree to which the student is on sick leave. In addition to this, the time that a student is entitled to study grants during illness is not included in the total number of weeks for which study grants may be submitted at most.
The health insurance is still linked to the study grant
The inquiry's directive limits the possibilities of proposing a health insurance system that is not linked to the study grant. SFS will continue to work for a system where everyone is health insured. It is important that all students, regardless of how they choose to finance their studies, have health insurance that guarantees a safe study period.
14 qualifying days instead of today's 30
The inquiry proposes a waiting period of 14 days for students. One of the arguments is that it should not be possible to have student loans written off without the illness being proven by a medical certificate. Today, students can prove their illness after 14 days, instead of seven days as for most other citizens. SFS hopes that the government proposes that the time for medical certificates for students be reduced to seven days and that the waiting period can thus be reduced to the same.
The rehabilitation responsibility is clarified
The Inquiry assesses that education providers already have a responsibility for rehabilitation of a study-oriented nature in accordance with current regulations. In order to guarantee that students actually have access to the rehabilitation they are entitled to, the inquiry proposes that the Swedish Work Environment Authority be commissioned to draw up guidelines in consultation with education providers or in other appropriate ways clarify the education providers' rehabilitation responsibilities. We are positive that the already existing rehabilitation responsibility is clarified so that it also works in practice and that it does not become dependent on higher education or education.
The full interim report can be found here and will be commented on in more detail by us in connection with the referral.