Nine measures to counter higher healthcare costs
The Federal Council has approved the first of two packages of measures in its healthcare cost containment program. At its meeting at the end of August, it adopted nine measures. This provides all players with instruments to curb cost growth in the healthcare sector. The savings potential amounts to several hundred million francs per year.
An important measure of the first package is the experimental article. Innovative, cost-cutting pilot projects are now to be introduced to relieve the Premium payer can be tested that deviate from the legal rules. Although projects can already be launched today, the scope is limited by law and little used by the cantons and tariff partners. Trials with new insurance models or in the area of integrated care are conceivable.
Better structure collective bargaining
In order to professionalize and better structure collective bargaining, the collective bargaining partners should create a national collective bargaining organization for the outpatient sector. Such an organization already exists for the inpatient sector. Today, tariff negotiations between service providers and insurers are repeatedly blocked, which is why outdated tariffs cannot be adjusted. In addition, the Federal Council wants to oblige service providers and insurers to provide for measures in nationwide contracts for individual medical areas in order to correct unjustified growth in volumes and costs. The aim is to ensure that costs only rise to the extent that they can be justified on medical grounds.
Reduce generic prices
With a reference price system for patent-expired drugs, the Federal Council is taking pharmaceutical companies to task: Generic are more than twice as expensive in Switzerland than abroad. The reference price system is intended to set a maximum price for drugs with the same active ingredient. Only this reference price is reimbursed by the compulsory health insurance (OKP).
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