29. Januar 2025 – The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) announced that the Federal Council is implementing the indirect counterproposal to the «Cost-Brake Initiative» to curb cost growth in the compulsory health insurance (obligatorische Krankenpflegeversicherung, OKP) system. The counterproposal aims to improve the quality of healthcare while reducing non-medically justified increases. Following the rejection of the initiative by Swiss voters in June 2024, the proposal is now being formalized through an amendment to the Health Insurance Ordinance (Krankenversicherungsverordnung, KVV), which is open for public consultation.

The proposed KVV amendment will establish cost growth targets for OKP, defined by the Federal Council for a four-year period after consulting stakeholders like insurers, insured individuals, cantons, and healthcare providers. These targets will apply across various service sectors, including hospitals, physicians, pharmaceuticals, and nursing services. Existing quality targets will also be further developed in parallel to better manage cost trends.

A new Federal Commission for Cost and Quality Monitoring (Eidgenössischen Kommission für das Kosten- und Qualitätsmonitoring in der obligatorischen Krankenpflegeversicherung, EKKQ) will oversee compliance with cost targets and recommend necessary measures.

Additional changes will also equip the federal government, cantons, and tariff partners with additional tools for tariff regulation (i.e., obligation to review tariff agreements within a year, adjustment of tariff agreements in the inpatient sector that no longer meet legal requirements) and ensuring the appropriateness and cost-efficiency of healthcare services.

For more information, see here.