The federal government should plan hospitals: politicians want to disempower cantons

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Martin Landolt (55) wants to defund the cantons. The chairman of the health insurer Santésuisse broke a taboo in the Tamedia newspapers: in the future, the federal government should plan the hospitals – and no longer the cantons as before. According to Landolt, healthcare costs could be reduced. What would be necessary: ​​premiums will increase again in 2024 – by an average of 8.7 percent.

For Landolt, the hospitals are also responsible for this. He thinks the 300 in the country is too much. Hospitals have long had to be closed or merged, but no one is tackling the problem, he criticizes the responsible cantons. That is why the association wants to launch a people’s initiative. The population should decide at the ballot box whether they want these many and expensive hospitals that increase their premiums.

This is well received in Bern: Even the chairman of the H+ hospital association, Regine Sauter (57), thinks: “The hospital planning is too small these days.” According to the FDP National Councilor, supra-regional planning with integrated hospitals is necessary. She is against the federal government taking over the planning itself. This is too far away and does not sufficiently understand regional needs. But, says Sauter, the federal government could, for example, divide Switzerland into six hospital regions.

It is clear that a new model is needed. On the one hand, many hospitals are underfunded. On the other hand, there is a shortage of specialized personnel. Mergers can create more efficient structures and better deploy nursing staff.

“The system has failed”

Landolt also receives support from the center party. Health politician Lorenz Hess (62) says: “The system has failed.” The cantons are often owners, operators and service providers at the same time – and this leads to conflicts of interest.

For him, such a popular initiative could mainly serve to weaken the prohibitions on thinking and find new approaches. “Politicians must have the courage to think about structural changes,” he says.

Landolt is already knocking down open doors on the left: Green National Councilor Manuela Weichelt (56) calls for a system change. “Hospitals often sow fear among the population.” Their argument is always that fewer hospitals would endanger the safety of care.

But that is not true. “Too many hospitals can also be dangerous to your health.” Quality is important and this requires specialists with a lot of experience, also in the field of rare diseases. These are often not found in small hospitals. “And yet the cantons take no action because they are too closely linked to the hospitals,” she says. The federal government is therefore necessary because it is more independent and can adapt structures more easily.

The pursuit of profit makes premiums more expensive

According to SP state councilor Flavia Wasserfallen (44), “the cantonal spirit is out of place here.” There is no point in the cantons competing with each other for patients. This leads to the expansion of profitable areas such as highly specialized medicine. However, things that generate less money are neglected, such as primary care and emergency medicine. Because every hospital has to make a profit and this also drives up premiums.

A look at parliament shows that Landolt’s call for systemic change has support from all parties. If the initiative is taken, this could mean that the cantons relinquish control.

Source:Blick