Linn Kullberg

Short presentation

Postdoctoral researcher in health services research, with a focus on governance, organization, and legitimacy in the healthcare sector. Earned a PhD in 2023 with a dissertation on how private health insurance affects public support for tax-funded healthcare. Currently involved in research projects on collaboration in healthcare, home-based rehabilitation for older adults, and the governance of local care centers within the transition to integrated care.

Keywords

• Private health insurance
• Privatization
• Welfare state
• Legitimacy
• Collaboration
• Integrated care
• Rehabilitation

Biography

Education

• Doctor of Medical Sciences (PhD), Uppsala University, 2023
• Master of Political Science, Uppsala University, 2014
• Bachelor of Political Science, Uppsala University, 2011

Research

Ongoing Projects

To what extent do older adults with complex health needs receive home-based rehabilitation after hospital discharge?

This project explores how home-based rehabilitation for older adults is organized and governed across different parts of Sweden, and which patients receive such services following hospital discharge. The aim is to identify factors that affect equity in access to rehabilitation and to develop policy recommendations to improve collaboration between municipalities and regions.

Local care centres in Region Uppsala – can a collaborative governance network improve care for older adults with complex needs?

This project investigates two local care centres in Region Uppsala to understand how joint governance in the form of networks influences collaboration at the operational level. The goal is to contribute knowledge on how collaboration can be organized to improve continuity and coordination in care for older adults with complex needs.

Conditions for Effective Inter-Organisational Collaboration: A Scoping Review of Contextual Factors in Successful Integration between Health and Social C are for Older Adults

This project explores how contextual factors influence the success of inter-organisational collaboration in the care of older adults. While collaboration is increasingly promoted to address complex needs, limited knowledge exists about how elements such as governance, organisational type, and funding affect outcomes at the organisational level. Through a systematic review of international research, the project aims to identify effective models of collaboration, understand the contexts in which they thrive, and analyse how enabling or hindering factors vary across settings. The findings will offer evidence-based guidance for policymakers and decision-makers in healthcare and social care.

Completed Projects

Doctoral thesis: Private Health Insurance in Sweden – Implications for the Legitimacy of the Public Health Care System (2023)

The thesis explored how private health insurance (PHI) influences the legitimacy of Sweden’s publicly funded health care system. Two key dimensions were examined: the public’s willingness to finance health care through taxation, and satisfaction with the quality of publicly provided care. Drawing on four sub-studies—two quantitative and two qualitative—the findings indicate that PHI primarily benefits socioeconomically advantaged groups. While PHI was not found to diminish the willingness to support public health care through taxes, it was associated with lower satisfaction regarding access and service within the public primary care system. This may, over time, pose a challenge to the perceived legitimacy and stability of the public health care system.