Switzerland

Anne-Geneviève Bütikofer, director of the Swiss Hospital Association, H+, is opening the door to a single health insurance scheme. "The pressure is so great that a revolution seems inevitable," she says.

A single health insurer may not be the right solution, "but it's worth considering", said Anne-Geneviève Bütikofer in an interview with Swiss newspaper Sonntags Blick on Sunday.

"If 2.5 million people change health insurer every year, at a cost of CHF800 ($882) to CHF1,000 per change, we have already found our potential savings of several billion. The discussions surrounding the single health insurance scheme are therefore legitimate," she said. Higher hospital charges

Despite the high cost of healthcare for the population, "we are calling for a 5% increase in all hospital charges", says Anne-Geneviève Bütikofer. "The rise in prices must finally be taken into account.”

According to the director, however, these increases should not be reflected in health insurance premiums. "I wonder whether we are financing the right things in the system with the right sources of funding."

"Today, all hospital services are funded by compulsory health insurance," she adds, stressing that there are no additional sources of remuneration for new expenditure.