Will people in Switzerland be taxed for hospital emergency visits?
A long-standing parliamentary motion in Switzerland calling for a 50-franc fee to be imposed on patients going to emergency rooms for ‘trivial’ health issues is gaining momentum. Here's what we know so far.
On Friday, the National Council's Health Commission agreed to accept the initiative to tax emergency department consultations for "mild" cases.
It is currently debating two variants of the motion originally filed in 2017.
In the first, patients would pay a 50-franc tax each time they seek emergency help, exempting those who really have a life-threatening or otherwise serious medical condition (see below).
In the second variant, patients would see their share of co-insurance costs increase by 50 francs each time they go to the emergency room without having been sent there by a doctor or a pharmacist.
In both cases, children up to the age of 18 and pregnant women would be exempt.
Co-insurance is the amount policyholders must pay out of pocket towards health insurance costs after their deductible is used up. The amount is limited to 700 francs per calendar year.
Currently, costs incurred for emergency visits are covered by the basic compulsory insurance, not by the patients themselves.
What happens to this motion now?
At this point, it is far from becoming law.
After the National Council is done debating it, it will go to the upper chamber of the parliament, the Council of States.
If it is rejected at this level, the motion is abandoned. If, on the other hand, it is accepted, then it would go to a referendum and it will be up to the voters to either approve or turn down the new law.
READ MORE: How ordinary citizens can try to change the law in Switzerland
Where did this proposal come from?
The motion was originally filed in 2017 by a Liberal Green MP Thomas Weibel and has been debated in the parliament, off and on, since then.
Weibel spearheaded the motion because "the habit of going more and more frequently to hospital emergency departments overloads the organisation of emergencies".
He added: "It also results in unnecessary stress for medical staff and avoidable waiting times for real emergencies, sometimes with potentially dangerous consequences."
Patients who are sent to the emergency room by a doctor, and people whose treatment requires hospitalisation, would be exempt from the tax under the plan.
Right-wing MPs have backed the move, explaining that “there are too many cases that are not real emergencies,” according to deputy Thomas Aeschi from Swiss People’s Party (SVP).
The new tax will reduce the costs borne by health insurance carriers and relieve the often-overcrowded emergency rooms, SVP claims.
Emergency departments (here at University hospital, CHUV, in Lausanne), are for urgent care only. Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
However, Switzerland’s medical community has swiftly opposed the proposed measure.
The Swiss Society of Emergency and Rescue Medicine has come out against the introduction of such a tax, arguing that the notion of a ‘mild case is vague.
“This tax is hardly applicable in practice. The emergency department is not a toll station,” the Society said.
The Federation of Swiss Doctors (FMH) is also opposed to such a tax.
According to its president Yvonne Gilli, "an emergency mistakenly considered a trivial case can lead to significant damages".
She added: "Often a case can only be properly assessed after it has been examined."
The Conference of Cantonal Health Directors (CDS) is also categorically opposed to this idea, arguing such a move is “a complete nonsense.”
What should you do if you feel unwell?
In some countries it is common for people who don’t have their own doctors to go to an emergency room (ER) with all kinds of health complaints.
In some cases, they even routinely call an ambulance to take them there.
But in Switzerland the rules are different.
Emergency rooms are for just that: true medical emergencies, which, if not treated quickly and immediately, can be life-threatening.
This includes (but is not limited to) heart attacks and strokes, head trauma, severe respiratory distress, heavy bleeding, serious injuries, and other conditions where any delay in treatment can put your life or health at risk.
This article explains what you should do if you fall ill:
Ambulance, ER or doctor? What are Switzerland's guidelines for health emergencies?
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On Friday, the National Council's Health Commission agreed to accept the initiative to tax emergency department consultations for "mild" cases.
It is currently debating two variants of the motion originally filed in 2017.
In the first, patients would pay a 50-franc tax each time they seek emergency help, exempting those who really have a life-threatening or otherwise serious medical condition (see below).
In the second variant, patients would see their share of co-insurance costs increase by 50 francs each time they go to the emergency room without having been sent there by a doctor or a pharmacist.
In both cases, children up to the age of 18 and pregnant women would be exempt.
Co-insurance is the amount policyholders must pay out of pocket towards health insurance costs after their deductible is used up. The amount is limited to 700 francs per calendar year.
Currently, costs incurred for emergency visits are covered by the basic compulsory insurance, not by the patients themselves.
What happens to this motion now?
At this point, it is far from becoming law.
After the National Council is done debating it, it will go to the upper chamber of the parliament, the Council of States.
If it is rejected at this level, the motion is abandoned. If, on the other hand, it is accepted, then it would go to a referendum and it will be up to the voters to either approve or turn down the new law.
READ MORE: How ordinary citizens can try to change the law in Switzerland
Where did this proposal come from?
The motion was originally filed in 2017 by a Liberal Green MP Thomas Weibel and has been debated in the parliament, off and on, since then.
Weibel spearheaded the motion because "the habit of going more and more frequently to hospital emergency departments overloads the organisation of emergencies".
He added: "It also results in unnecessary stress for medical staff and avoidable waiting times for real emergencies, sometimes with potentially dangerous consequences."
Patients who are sent to the emergency room by a doctor, and people whose treatment requires hospitalisation, would be exempt from the tax under the plan.
Right-wing MPs have backed the move, explaining that “there are too many cases that are not real emergencies,” according to deputy Thomas Aeschi from Swiss People’s Party (SVP).
The new tax will reduce the costs borne by health insurance carriers and relieve the often-overcrowded emergency rooms, SVP claims.
However, Switzerland’s medical community has swiftly opposed the proposed measure.
The Swiss Society of Emergency and Rescue Medicine has come out against the introduction of such a tax, arguing that the notion of a ‘mild case is vague.
“This tax is hardly applicable in practice. The emergency department is not a toll station,” the Society said.
The Federation of Swiss Doctors (FMH) is also opposed to such a tax.
According to its president Yvonne Gilli, "an emergency mistakenly considered a trivial case can lead to significant damages".
She added: "Often a case can only be properly assessed after it has been examined."
The Conference of Cantonal Health Directors (CDS) is also categorically opposed to this idea, arguing such a move is “a complete nonsense.”
What should you do if you feel unwell?
In some countries it is common for people who don’t have their own doctors to go to an emergency room (ER) with all kinds of health complaints.
In some cases, they even routinely call an ambulance to take them there.
But in Switzerland the rules are different.
Emergency rooms are for just that: true medical emergencies, which, if not treated quickly and immediately, can be life-threatening.
This includes (but is not limited to) heart attacks and strokes, head trauma, severe respiratory distress, heavy bleeding, serious injuries, and other conditions where any delay in treatment can put your life or health at risk.
This article explains what you should do if you fall ill:
Ambulance, ER or doctor? What are Switzerland's guidelines for health emergencies?
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