The costs of childbirth or a treatment against AIDS must be reimbursed to insured people even if they are in arrears with the payment of their health insurance premiums in Switzerland.
A court in St Gallen last week decided to extend the notion of urgency to include such cases.
Currently, nine of the country’s 26 cantons maintain controversial blacklists of patients who are only entitled to emergency treatments.
The verdict, reported by the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, refers to the case of a patient who gave birth at a public hospital, but her insurance company refused to reimburse the invoice because the woman was blacklisted.
The hospital sued the insurance company so they wouldn’t be left with the bill.
It is not clear whether the insurance company will appeal against the decision.
An estimated 30,000 people don’t pay their mandatory insurance premiums, a fourfold increase on 2014.
Last year, an AIDS patient in Switzerland died because he couldn’t afford treatment as his insurance company refused to reimburse the costs of a therapy.
More
More
Caring for those who cannot afford health coverage
This content was published on
Although public assistance is available to those struggling to pay for care, in the end not everyone is able to get the treatment they need.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Health insurance costs keep on rising
This content was published on
Premiums for people under 18 will likely rise by 5%, and residents of western Switzerland are expected to be hit especially hard. For example, the rate is expected to go up by 6.4% in canton Vaud, and 5.4% in canton Geneva. At the other end of the spectrum, health insurance for people in canton Schwyz in…
Caring for those who cannot afford health coverage
This content was published on
Although public assistance is available to those struggling to pay for care, in the end not everyone is able to get the treatment they need.
In Switzerland, who should foot the bill for pricey ambulance rides?
This content was published on
Patients pay for most emergency transport out of pocket, but some argue ambulance interventions should be billed to basic health insurance.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.