Swiss want healthcare system to be left alone
The Swiss are happy with their healthcare system and don’t want any experiments, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the Swiss pharmaceutical association Interpharma.
In general, the 1,200 people questioned by the research and polling institute GfS Bern said they wanted healthcare to focus on quantity and quality and less on cost.
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Only a third of respondents consulted for the Health Monitor 2018External link survey agreed with the idea of tying health premiums to income. One in six saw paying health premiums as a problem.
When it came to a global budget – financial caps on the Swiss healthcare system currently being discussed – 91% thought such a scheme would lead to longer waiting times and would limit the choice of doctor or hospital. In addition, 54% didn’t think a global budget would result in lower premiums and 74% feared patients would no longer receive necessary medicine.
Separately on Tuesday, price comparison website comparis.ch predicted basic health insurance premiums would increase by 4% in 2019. This, it said in a statementExternal link, was due to more treatment and medicine being consumed rather than a change in their price.
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