20 août 2019 – The Federal Council adopted new measures against rising costs in the public health care sector. In this first package, the Federal Council intends to provide all stakeholders with the necessary instruments in order to slow down the rise of costs and expects to save several hundred million Swiss Francs annually. In particular, these measures concern:

• The possibility for experimental and innovative pilot projects for cost savings deviating from legal requirements, e.g. new insurance models or projects in the area of integrated care;
• Tariff negotiations shall be better structured by the foundation of a national tariff organisation in the ambulatory sector and an obligation of service providers and insurers to provide for measures for specific medical areas in contracts covering the whole of Switzerland;
• The reduction of costs for generic medicinal products through the introduction of a reference price system. Compulsory health care insurance will only remunerate this reference price;
• An improvement of invoice control through the introduction of an obligation of service providers to send copies of medical expenses to patients.

For further information regarding these measures, see here.