Health insurance companies should reimburse certain medicines purchased abroad
Published: Thursday, Mar 14th 2024, 21:00
Back to Live Feed
Swiss health insurance companies should have to reimburse certain medicines purchased by insured persons abroad. The National Council is calling for the law to be amended accordingly. Medicines that are licensed in Switzerland and prescribed by a doctor practicing in Switzerland should be reimbursed.
The health insurance funds should also pay for medicines or medical aids if they are cheaper abroad than the same medicines or medical aids in Switzerland. These are the two demands of a motion by Marcel Dobler (FDP/SG), which the National Council clearly approved on Thursday by 134 votes to 24 with 22 abstentions.
The proposal still has to go through the Council of States. According to Dobler's motion, it is not about medicines that are shipped.
The mover of the motion argued that health insurance premiums were rising year on year. All possible measures should be taken to curb further cost increases in the healthcare system. High drug prices are a major driver of these costs.
The Federal Council requested that the motion be accepted. In November, it had already written in its response to the motion that it was planning to amend the legal basis in line with the motion in the coming year.
The motion was opposed in the Council by Thomas de Courten (SVP/BL), who spoke of a "call for shopping tourism". The current principle of territoriality for health insurance benefits strengthens patient safety. Implementing the motion would weaken Switzerland as a business location.
Currently, the costs of medicines purchased abroad are only reimbursed if the insured person needs them during a temporary stay abroad due to an illness that occurred there.
The price level of medicines in other European countries is lower than in Switzerland. The price differences for generics are particularly striking: they are around half as cheap abroad.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic