Tag Archives: health

A new study suggests that doctors and hospitals are overcharging by more than one billion francs every year, reported SRF. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.comSome in the medical profession have questioned the sum, which came from doctoral research done by Larisa Petrov. Petrov is a lawyer and head of legal at the consulting firm Blacklight Analytics. She did the research while working as a lawyer at Helsana Insurance The excessive charges fall into two broad categories: overpriced...

This week, a government proposal presented as an alternative to a referendum aimed at limiting healthcare costs was rejected by initiative organisers. This means the question will be put to voters. © Alexey Novikov | Dreamstime.comThe initiative, which is supported by the Centre Party, would require actors in the healthcare system to agree on cost-cutting measures if healthcare costs grow significantly faster than wages and the economy – cost growth more than 20% higher than the nominal...

Across much of Europe, smoke detectors are a legal requirement. In Switzerland, they are not. The recent death of two people in a fire in Pfaffnau in the canton of Luzern has prompted calls to change the rules, reported SRF. © Andrey Popov | Dreamstime.comOn 19 March 2024, shortly after midnight, rescue workers were called to a burning apartment in Pfaffnau. Seven people were evacuated, three of whom were sent to hospital because of likely smoke inhalation. Two missing people were...

Since the beginning of March, Swiss health insurance companies have been covering the cost of Wegovy, a weight loss product, reported SRF. © Oleschwander | Dreamstime.comPreviously, Ozempic, a drug also used by diabetics, was being prescribed for weight loss. Going forward, it is expected that the drugs Wegovy and Saxenda will be prescribed for weight loss instead of Ozempic. This should relieve drug shortages for diabetics – people seeking Ozempic for weight loss have made it difficult...

Since 1999, the cost of health insurance has more than doubled. Basic compulsory insurance is now 2.36 times what it was in 1999, while complimentary optional insurance is up by 30%. Overall, disposable income has been reduced by 5.3% by the rising cost of insurance over the last 25 years. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.comSix of the last 25 years had no negative impact on disposable, one had a positive impact and 18 reduced it. 2023, which was among the among the negative years,...

With the ever rising cost of of Swiss healthcare, the government has been hunting for savings. This week it announced that it has ordered price cuts on 350 medicines from 1 December 2023, reported RTS. © Francisco Javier Zea Lara | Dreamstime.comOn average the drugs on the list will cost 10% less and deliver an overall expected saving of CHF 120 million a year. This comes out at around CHF 14 per resident, not a particularly significant sum when set against an average annual health...

With the ever rising cost of of Swiss healthcare, the government has been hunting for savings. This week it announced that it has ordered price cuts on 350 medicines from 1 December 2023, reported RTS. © Francisco Javier Zea Lara | Dreamstime.comOn average the drugs on the list will cost 10% less and deliver an overall expected saving of CHF 120 million a year. This comes out at around CHF 14 per resident, not a particularly significant sum when set against an...

An initiative proposed by Switzerland’s Centre Party looks set to move to the next phase after government counter proposals were rejected this week, reported SRF. Healthcare Cost © Nuthawut Somsuk | Dreamstime.comThe cost of Switzerland’s compulsory health insurance will rise by 8.7% next year, something that has pushed the issue to the top of voters’ list of concerns – in a recent poll 51% listed the rising cost of health insurance as a concern. The Centre Party has decided a cost...

Health insurance premiums will rise by 8.7% on average in 2024, announced the authorities this week. This is the sharpest rise since 2010 when they rose by 8.6%. The average monthly premium across Switzerland in 2024 will be CHF 359.50. © Alexlmx | Dreamstime.comHealth Minister Alain Berset and Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) director Anne Lévy announced the sharp rise at a media conference in Bern. The rise in costs will be between 6.5% and 10.5% depending on the canton....

Many drugs come in two forms: expensive branded drugs and cheaper generic copies. Switzerland’s Federal Council hopes a shift to cheaper generic and bio-similar medicines can shave CHF 250 million from Switzerland’s rapidly rising cost of healthcare, reported SRF. New rules on medicine choices and health insurance were already set to come into force on 1 January 2024. However, this week the Federal Council announced that it will make the new rules tougher that first planned in the hope of...