Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Parliament wants to dissuade patients from seeking treatment for trivial health problems in emergency departments; Swiss coins and banknotes could be enshrined in the Constitution, and other news in our roundup on Monday.
Patients may have to pay out of pocket for unnecessary emergency room visits
As emergency departments in many Swiss hospitals are understaffed and therefore already stretched to the limit, elected officials have been looking for ways to dissuade people with mild symptoms from seeking medical care there.
The National Health Commission has just begun a legislative process to lay the foundation for a new law that would fine those who come to emergency departments with non-urgent conditions, instead of going to family physicians, medical centres, or walk-in clinics.
The proposed law would require such patients to pay additional fees or have their co-pay amount increased.
However, children and adolescents, as well as patients referred by a doctor and those whose conditiont subsequently requires hospitalisation, would be exempt from the fines.
This article explains what is considered a true medical emergency :
Ambulance, ER or doctor? What are Switzerland's guidelines for health emergencies?
Social insurance, education: What Switzerland spends most money on
If you have ever wondered what the Swiss government does with the money it receives from taxes, data released on Friday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) answers this question.
In 2021, the last year for which statistics are available, total expenditure by public administrations amounted to more than 266 billion francs.
Out of that, 39 percent was spent on social protection — mainly the old age pensions like AVH / AVS.
Next (15.6 percent) went to education, followed by economy (13.4 percent), general public services (11.9 percent), and health (7.7) percent.
Although these figures date from 2021, the proportion of expenditures is more or less the same from one year to another.
The Swiss will vote to enshrine cash in their Constitution
The Swiss Freedom Movement (MLS) group has collected more than 157,000 signatures to launch a national vote (150,000 are required) to prevent the phasing out of cash in favour of credit cards and other cashless transactions that have become widespread during the Covid pandemic.
“Cash is freedom and an absolute priority for Switzerland, the group said.
“If you want to pay in cash, you have to be able to pay in cash,” the group added.
“It is contrary to human rights and our heritage of freedom to exclude people who prefer to use cash than a card.”
The date for the referendum has not yet been said.
READ MORE: How ordinary citizens can try to change the law in Switzerland
US media: ‘What makes Switzerland so free?’
In a recent broadcast, Fox News presenter Lisa Kennedy mentioned a study, the Human Freedom Index 2022, which ranked Switzerland in the first place globally in terms of various freedoms and liberties, while the United States landed in the 23rd position.
In an interview with one of the authors of the study, Kennedy said the fact that Switzerland is in the top spot “is surprising to many people” and asked, “what makes it so free?”
The reason, according to the researcher, is that “in almost every category we looked at, including economic, personal, and civil liberties, Switzerland is certainly the freest.”
You can find out more about this study here.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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Patients may have to pay out of pocket for unnecessary emergency room visits
As emergency departments in many Swiss hospitals are understaffed and therefore already stretched to the limit, elected officials have been looking for ways to dissuade people with mild symptoms from seeking medical care there.
The National Health Commission has just begun a legislative process to lay the foundation for a new law that would fine those who come to emergency departments with non-urgent conditions, instead of going to family physicians, medical centres, or walk-in clinics.
The proposed law would require such patients to pay additional fees or have their co-pay amount increased.
However, children and adolescents, as well as patients referred by a doctor and those whose conditiont subsequently requires hospitalisation, would be exempt from the fines.
This article explains what is considered a true medical emergency :
Ambulance, ER or doctor? What are Switzerland's guidelines for health emergencies?
Social insurance, education: What Switzerland spends most money on
If you have ever wondered what the Swiss government does with the money it receives from taxes, data released on Friday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) answers this question.
In 2021, the last year for which statistics are available, total expenditure by public administrations amounted to more than 266 billion francs.
Out of that, 39 percent was spent on social protection — mainly the old age pensions like AVH / AVS.
Next (15.6 percent) went to education, followed by economy (13.4 percent), general public services (11.9 percent), and health (7.7) percent.
Although these figures date from 2021, the proportion of expenditures is more or less the same from one year to another.
The Swiss will vote to enshrine cash in their Constitution
The Swiss Freedom Movement (MLS) group has collected more than 157,000 signatures to launch a national vote (150,000 are required) to prevent the phasing out of cash in favour of credit cards and other cashless transactions that have become widespread during the Covid pandemic.
“Cash is freedom and an absolute priority for Switzerland, the group said.
“If you want to pay in cash, you have to be able to pay in cash,” the group added.
“It is contrary to human rights and our heritage of freedom to exclude people who prefer to use cash than a card.”
The date for the referendum has not yet been said.
READ MORE: How ordinary citizens can try to change the law in Switzerland
US media: ‘What makes Switzerland so free?’
In a recent broadcast, Fox News presenter Lisa Kennedy mentioned a study, the Human Freedom Index 2022, which ranked Switzerland in the first place globally in terms of various freedoms and liberties, while the United States landed in the 23rd position.
In an interview with one of the authors of the study, Kennedy said the fact that Switzerland is in the top spot “is surprising to many people” and asked, “what makes it so free?”
The reason, according to the researcher, is that “in almost every category we looked at, including economic, personal, and civil liberties, Switzerland is certainly the freest.”
You can find out more about this study here.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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