Reducing healthcare costs remains the focus of Swiss politics
Published: Sunday, Jun 9th 2024, 18:20
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The two initiatives on healthcare costs were rejected by voters on Sunday. However, the issue of rising health insurance premiums remains topical. The following ideas are on the table to get them under control:
COST COVERAGE: This year, the electorate is expected to vote on a reform of healthcare financing. It concerns the so-called monism bill, which provides for uniform financing of outpatient and inpatient care (Efas). At present, inpatient treatment is paid for by the cantons and health insurance companies, while outpatient treatment is covered solely by health insurance companies. The bill is intended to create an incentive for a shift from inpatient to outpatient treatment, which could lead to lower healthcare costs. A referendum was held against the bill.
HEALTHCARE COSTS: Next week, the Council of States, as the second chamber, will deal with a further package to curb healthcare costs. In addition to the measures adopted by the National Council, the responsible Council of States committee wants to further reduce drug prices. Specifically, the federal government should be able to set volume discounts for medicines with a large market volume in future. According to the committee, this measure is aimed at a small number of established products which, however, account for a significant proportion of drug costs. According to estimates by the administration, this could save up to CHF 400 million. It is largely unclear what financial relief the other changes to the Health Insurance Act will bring on balance.
UNIFORM HEALTH INSURANCE: On the Sunday of the vote, the SP announced an initiative for a public health insurance fund. "The expensive and inefficient pseudo-competition between private health insurance companies, which is partly responsible for the explosion in premiums, must be stopped now," said National Councillor and Co-President of the parliamentary group Samira Marti (BL). The introduction of a single health insurance fund is not a new idea. It has already been put to the vote twice in recent times. In 2014, the electorate rejected the creation of a single health insurance fund by 61.9%. In 2007, 71.2 percent were still against it.
DIGITALIZATION: Digitalization in the healthcare sector is to be promoted so that medical clarifications are not carried out more than once. This involves the Digisanté program on the one hand and the electronic patient dossier on the other. With these two approaches, the various healthcare players should be able to exchange data better with each other in order to avoid duplication and thus additional costs.
INTEGRATED MODEL: At the beginning of 2024, the canton of Berne introduced an integrated healthcare model in the Bernese Jura that is new to Switzerland. The model of the insurer Visana focuses on prevention for the insured. Integrated care creates incentives to provide only necessary and appropriate treatment and to avoid duplication of treatment. According to the insurer, the premium for this is 13 to 20 percent cheaper than the standard premium, depending on the premium region and deductible.
REDUCTION IN BENEFITS: On the Sunday of the vote, the FDP and SVP brought a reduction in benefits in basic insurance into play. FDP President Thierry Burkhart said that the compulsory basic health insurance catalog had become increasingly bloated in recent years. SVP President Marcel Dettling also called for restrictions to the basic catalog. He also criticized the fact that refugees were immediately entitled to all benefits.
HOSPITAL PLANNING: On voting Sunday, Center President Gerhard Pfister brought up the idea of forcing the cantons to better coordinate hospital planning. "We will consider launching an initiative on this if necessary," said Pfister. This would not necessarily mean the closure of hospitals, but rather the inter-cantonal coordination of existing tasks. Currently, the federal government has no say in the hospital landscape, which is a matter for the cantons.
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