Tuesday , November 5 2024
Home / le News / Swiss government approves measures to cut healthcare costs

Swiss government approves measures to cut healthcare costs

Summary:
Swiss healthcare is expensive and most of it is paid directly by individuals (69%). Only the US has a more expensive healthcare system, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office. © Ginasanders | Dreamstime.comThe political pressure on Switzerland’s government to address the problem has been intensifying for some time. This week, the federal government announced nine measures to cut healthcare costs that it expects could save hundreds of millions of francs annually. The key ones include improved negotiations with healthcare providers, reference prices for generic drugs and greater price transparency.  Reference prices for generic drugs, those with expired patents, could save CHF 300 to CHF 500 million, estimates the Federal Council. Currently, these drugs in

Topics:
Investec considers the following as important: , , ,

This could be interesting, too:

Investec writes Swiss National Bank to issue new money

Investec writes End of lifelong widows’ pensions moves closer to reality

Investec writes Swiss government deficit shrinks further

Investec writes Swiss government wants to invest more in bomb shelters

Swiss healthcare is expensive and most of it is paid directly by individuals (69%). Only the US has a more expensive healthcare system, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office.

Cutting Swiss healthcare costs
© Ginasanders | Dreamstime.com

The political pressure on Switzerland’s government to address the problem has been intensifying for some time.

This week, the federal government announced nine measures to cut healthcare costs that it expects could save hundreds of millions of francs annually.

The key ones include improved negotiations with healthcare providers, reference prices for generic drugs and greater price transparency. 

Reference prices for generic drugs, those with expired patents, could save CHF 300 to CHF 500 million, estimates the Federal Council. Currently, these drugs in Switzerland generally cost double what they do abroad. Reference prices will create a price ceiling.

Currently, some negotiations between health insurers and healthcare providers are piecemeal and often breakdown. The federal government will introduce a system to require certain provisions to be covered by nationwide deals and measures to control price rises unjustified by rising costs. 

Many healthcare providers, hospitals in particular, currently fail to provide cost information to everyone involved. The federal government will introduce rules forcing providers to supply this information to the federal government, cantonal governments and patients. This will enable more checks and better enforcement of legal limits.

More on this:

Federal Council press release (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Investec
Investec
Investec is a distinctive Specialist Bank and Asset Manager. We provide a diverse range of financial products and services to our niche client base.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *