Prevention and Responsibility in Swiss Healthcare

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Prevention and Responsibility in Swiss Healthcare

Author(s): Infodent International

Caries and periodontal diseases can be prevented by educating and empowering people. This is how Switzerland's health model works. As health insurance reimburses only dental costs caused by accidents or serious and unavoidable diseases, citizens are called to pay out of their own pockets for the outcomes of improper lifestyles and treatment for avoidable diseases.

Switzerland ensures access to healthcare through a system of mandatory health insurance (MHI), which has been compulsory for all residents since 1996, although some cantons had compulsory insurance as early as 1914. Individuals choose and buy a health insurance plan, from a number of federally approved, not-for-profit, insurance companies, that covers the basic mandatory health insurance coverage as specified by law. Insured individuals pay a premium set by the insurance company, but subject to governmental review.

Citizens who want to purchase MHI cannot be turned down by insurers, and cantons provide subsidies for people on low incomes (although the nature and level of these vary widely by canton). The standard benefits package is regulated by federal legislation and includes most general practitioner (GPs) and specialist services, as well as inpatient care and services provided by other health professionals if prescribed by a physician. Corporatist actors, in particular associations of MHI companies and providers (associations of physicians, dentists, and hospitals) play an important role in the Swiss health system. They are charged with determining tariffs for the reimbursement of services, they negotiate contracts, and they oversee their members at the cantonal level. The body representing the interests of dentists in Switzerland is the Swiss Dental Association (SSO - Société Suisse des Médecines-Dentistes), which is responsible for negotiating fee levels with insurers, and also publishes quality guidelines for its members. In addition, popular initiatives and referenda have a pervasive influence in shaping health policy making. Certain reforms of the healthcare system require a positive referendum by the Swiss population, in particular when concerning the reallocation of responsibilities between the three levels of governance. In addition, popular initiatives often drive legislative activity, responding to citizens’ demands for change….READ MORE

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Prevention and Responsibility in Swiss Healthcare

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