Doctors and hospitals are given cost targets

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The federal parliament counters the Mitte party’s cost-cutting initiative with an indirect counter-proposal. It wants to legally anchor cost and quality objectives in healthcare – as a measure against the increase in premiums. The Council of States voted on Tuesday as second council in favor of a similar proposal.

According to this, the Bundesrat should in future set cost and quality targets for the services for the next four years, after hearing all stakeholders in the healthcare system. Each canton can take this as a guideline and also set cost and quality targets for the next four years.

No automation

The template does not contain specifications about what to do if goals are not met. With Tuesday’s decision, the Center, SP and Greens also won in the Council of States. FDP and SVP unsuccessfully protested that patients could be burdened by the cost breakdowns because they endangered care.

Pro-Council and Health Minister Alain Berset disputed this. There is no automatic mechanism that prevents treatments from being performed once a cost target is exceeded.

There are still differences

The Council has not yet taken a decision on the citizens’ initiative “For lower premiums – cost control in healthcare”. This requires the Federal Council, the Federal Assembly and the cantons to intervene if healthcare costs rise too much compared to wage developments. This would be the case if the cost growth per insured person were one fifth greater than the nominal wage development.

The National Council had already voted in favor of the indirect counter-proposal in June 2022. Since the Council of States has created several differences of opinion, the case goes back to the Grand Chamber. (SDA)

Source:Blick