“Higher premiums, lower quality care? No!”: Supporters of the project for uniform funding for ambulance and inpatient health services (EFAS) launched their campaign on Tuesday in the light of the November 24 vote. According to them, the modification would cause a further increase in premiums.
The reform provides the same funding key for inpatient care (hospitals and EMS) and outpatient care (medical practices, hospital outpatient services and home care). The cantons will have to pay 26.9%.
Currently, they fund inpatient services up to at least 55%, with the rest covered by health insurers. In the outpatient sector, services are 100% covered by compulsory health care insurance.
There would be nothing wrong with uniform funding in itself if the burden on premium payers could be reduced without making quality concessions.
Katharina Prelicz-Huber, national councilor (Les Vert-es/ZH)
The Swiss Public Services Union (SSP), the Swiss Trade Union (USS), the Unia union, as well as the representatives of the Vert-es and the PS support the referendum. There would be nothing wrong with uniform funding in itself if the burden on premium payers could be reduced without making quality concessions, according to MP Katharina Prelicz-Huber (Les Vert-es/ZH).
In fact, it is not easy to understand why the outpatient sector must be financed by premium payers alone, without the participation of public authorities, she noted. However, EFAS will not keep its promises. The review will result in an increase in premiums or a reduction in benefits.
>> Explanations from 12:30 pm:
Supporters of the reform of the health care financing system launch their campaign / 12:30 pm / 1 min. / yesterday at 12:36
Long-term care
The referendums focused on the long-term care sector (EMS and home care). You don’t have to be a health expert to know that long-term care will continue to grow rapidly with an aging society and that this will have a major impact on health insurance premiums, said National Councilor David Roth (PS /LU).
The reform intends to make greater demands on premium payers, since the ceiling on cost sharing, which is currently in place, will be removed. The share funded by EMS residents or home care beneficiaries will also be increased, said Véronique Polito, Unia vice president. Therefore, the insured will be penalized twice, as premium payers and benefit recipients. She criticized the “shifting of the financial burden to premium payers”.
Private funds, without democratic legitimacy, without transparency, will manage the tax income of their citizens instead.
Pierre-Yves Maillard, adviser to the States (PS/VD)
With the reform, the canons not only abandon responsibility for EMS or home care, but also planning and effective management in favor of the population, according to opponents. They would then pay 13 billion francs in taxes directly to health insurance companies.
“Private funds, without democratic legitimacy, without transparency, will manage the tax income of their citizens in their place,” announced State Councilor Pierre-Yves Maillard (PS/VD), president of the USS. Public authorities are surrendering their sovereignty to private actors, said Natascha Wey, general secretary of the SSP.
“red carpet” for health insurance
Patients who do not have expensive additional insurance risk seeing the quality of care deteriorate, according to opponents. The reform provides a “red carpet” for health funds, which will be interested in “rationing basic care to be able to sell more complementary insurance”.
Underfunding public hospitals will also increase the pressure on healthcare workers, the referendum also argued. National councilor Christian Dandrès (PS/GE), president of the SSP, spoke of “contempt shown against the population”, and the people accepted the initiative on nursing care in 2021.
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