Health costs: National Council approves weaker cost containment package

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In concrete terms, this concerns the second package of measures to keep healthcare costs within limits. Parliament has already adopted a split first package. A number of points are already in force. With the current package, the Federal Council wants to utilize further savings potential in healthcare – without being able to quantify this exactly.

For example, the Federal Council proposes measures to reduce unnecessary treatments. To this end, coordinated care networks need to be set up. Pharmacies need to gain more skills to avoid more expensive services from doctors. The Federal Council also questions confidential pricing models.

The National Council responded to the proposal without opposition on Thursday. Two days after the new premium shock, everyone agreed that new prescriptions were needed to combat ever-rising health care costs.

However, no one was completely satisfied with the Federal Council’s package of measures – even though it is intended to implement the orders of parliament and a broad group of experts. A ‘pause for reflection’ as the Greens demanded was not an option for the National Council. Instead, the Grand Chamber made several changes to the design of the Federal Council. The Council has almost continuously followed its provisional advisory committee for social security and health care (SGK-N).

The most important change concerns coordinated care. The National Council agrees with the Federal Council that this should be further promoted. However, with 117 votes in favor, 67 votes in favor and 7 abstentions, he rejected the idea of ​​recognizing networks as service providers. Instead, he wants to adjust existing regulations to enable better coordination.

In particular, health insurers must be able to use the data of their policyholders to inform them individually about possible savings or more suitable care models. With two motions, the Commission also wants to make alternative insurance models more attractive in the long term by allowing multi-year contracts and calculating premium discounts differently.

The National Council also spoke in principle in favor of confidential pricing models for expensive medicines – but only on the condition that an independent body would publicly report on the implementation of the confidential pricing models. This is intended to allow examination of the number of these pricing models and their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, while allowing individual reimbursements to remain confidential.

Pharmacists should now also be able to invoice more services for health insurance. However, the National Council refrained from offsetting the costs of new services with a reduction in reimbursement for drug distribution. Clarifications from the administration have shown that such a request would be difficult to implement.

The package also includes measures that do not lead to a direct cost reduction. The National Council decided that there would be no cost contribution from the start of the pregnancy. Currently, services are only exempt from cost sharing from the 13th week of pregnancy.

In addition, the analyzes already carried out by midwives on the mother must be clearly laid down in law. During pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, midwives must be able to use medicines without a doctor’s prescription under certain conditions.

The Commission also wants to equate the digital insurance card with the physical card and thus promote digitalization. To ensure that invoices are understandable, the duration of the consultation should also be stated on them.

In the general vote, the National Council approved the package of measures with 131 votes against, 28 votes and 32 abstentions. The template and the three associated motions now go to the Council of States.

Federal President and Minister of Health Alain Berset again stated that the Federal Council had exhausted all measures within its area of ​​competence. Parliament must now decide on further measures.

“At least there is consensus that something needs to be done,” Berset said. However, the fact that the new pricing models and coordinated networks proposed by the Federal Council were not well received by the National Council Committee demonstrates the problem. Parliament will accept any austerity proposal from the Federal Council.

(SDA)

Source:Blick