Friday , March 29 2024
Home / SNB & CHF / Swiss health insurers to send patients to pharmacy first

Swiss health insurers to send patients to pharmacy first

Summary:
© Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com Swiss healthcare is typically ranked the world’s second most expensive, as a percentage of GDP, after the US. In Switzerland, compulsory health insurance premiums cover 37% of healthcare costs. Much of the rest is covered by tax payers and non-reimbursable out-of-pocket payments by individuals. As part of a plan to ...

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

This could be interesting, too:

Investec writes Some relief on Swiss electricity bills in pipeline

Investec writes Recent Swiss fire deaths prompt calls for fire detectors

Investec writes Swiss National Bank surprises with interest rate cut

Connor O'Keeffe writes Is the Violence in Haiti a Preview of a Libertarian Society?

Swiss health insurers to send patients to pharmacy first

© Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com

Swiss healthcare is typically ranked the world’s second most expensive, as a percentage of GDP, after the US.

In Switzerland, compulsory health insurance premiums cover 37% of healthcare costs. Much of the rest is covered by tax payers and non-reimbursable out-of-pocket payments by individuals.

As part of a plan to reduce costs, this week, the health insurer Groupe Mutuel, launched a new lower cost plan which requires its clients to go to the pharmacy for help before calling their doctor or a medical specialist, according to Le Matin Dimanche and reported in Le Temps.

Patients on the plan are required to go a designated pharmacy before going to a doctor. A pharmacist decides whether a doctor’s appointment is required. Pharmacists do not charge for consultations, reducing costs.

Certain things, such as emergency treatment, gynecology, pediatrics and chronic conditions are exempted.

The system, which was tested between 2012 and 2014, found that 73% of cases could be dealt with by the pharmacist.

Pharmacies welcome the shift because it has the potential to boost their sales. Many doctors are supportive too because they have more patient demand than they can cope with.

A recent law increasing the number of drugs that can be obtained from pharmacies without a prescription from a doctor, which came into force on 1 January 2019, is one element supporting this new model.


Tags: ,,,,,
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 *