Tag Archives: health

Swiss healthcare is typically ranked the world’s second most expensive, as a percentage of GDP, after the US. © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.comIn 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...

Until recently, Swiss case law placed the responsibility for drug addiction on the drug user. © Tomas Nevesely | Dreamstime.comDrug addicts only qualified for disability welfare if their addiction was connected with an illness or accident. A recent ruling on a case by the Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s highest court, changes this.  The case involved a man in Zurich dependent on opioids and benzodiazepines, a type of drug sometimes used to alleviate the symptoms of alcohol...

Switzerland’s government is aiming to make it easier to access medical marijuana, which is used by those suffering from cancer or other serious medical conditions. © Olegmalyshev _ Dreamstime.com The proposed rules would make it possible for doctors to directly prescribe cannabis as part of their treatment, said the Federal Council in a statement. Currently, patients have to apply for an exception from the Federal Office of Public Health to get a prescription. Around 3,000 people were granted...

© Andrii Yalanskyi | Dreamstime.com One idea for containing rising healthcare costs was to remove the possibility of changing health insurance deductibles every year, making it possible only every three years. If people are able to switch from high to low deductibles annually then they can save money by opting for a high deductible one year, while postponing visits to the doctor until the following year when they opt...

One idea for containing rising healthcare costs was to remove the possibility of changing health insurance deductibles every year, making it possible only every three years. © Andrii Yalanskyi | Dreamstime.com If people are able to switch from high to low deductibles annually then they can save money by opting for a high deductible one year, while postponing visits to the doctor until the following year when they opt for a low one. Locking deductibles for three years would reduce this...

The high price of drugs in Switzerland has been partially blamed for driving up medical insurance costs. (© Keystone / Gaetan Bally) The cost of health insurance in Switzerland is expected to rise 3% both this year and next, warns the umbrella group for health insurers, Santésuisse. This is way above the forecast rise in consumer goods prices of 0.9% for 2019. On Monday, Santésuisseexternal link outlined the main...

Switzerland’s third largest health insurer had a good year in 2018, according to recently published financial statements. Instead of holding onto all of the CHF 61.9 million profit it made last year, the not-for-profit company plans to return some of the money to policyholders between now and the end of the year. Around half of all policyholders will receive something. Policyholders in ten cantons will receive them. In Vaud each adult will get CHF 50. In Geneva they’ll get CHF 100 and in...

Last week, a crowd assembled in Bern outside Switzerland’s federal parliament building to protest the roll out of 5G mobile technology in Switzerland. © Tpibernik | Dreamstime.com Switzerland’s “Stop 5G” movement is demanding a halt to further roll out of the technology in Switzerland, a process already well underway. They are demanding a precautionary approach and further research into the health effects. Most scientists have failed to establish any health risks associated the radiation...

Last week, Antonio Hodgers, the head of Geneva’s executive, announced a ban on the erection of further 5G mobile antennas in the canton, according to an interview on RTS. © Tpibernik | Dreamstime.com Motivated by uncertainty on the potential health effects of the new technology, the temporary freeze is the most the cantonal government can do to stop the rollout of the technology. Switzerland’s federal government in Bern calls the shots when it comes to the overall plan on 5G rollout. The...

Non-smokers will soon be able to breathe easily while waiting for Swiss trains, according to the newspaper Le Matin. © Gordon Bell _ Dreamstime.com In 2005, it was still possible to smoke on Swiss trains in special smoking carriages. From 1 June 2019, it won’t even be possible to smoke on train platforms. Smokers will soon have to take their last quick puffs before they enter train stations. E-cigarettes are included in the new ban that follows smoke free platform tests at a number of Swiss...