The House of Representatives has approved a package of measures aimed at reducing Switzerland's spiraling health costs.
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But after a six-hour debate, it came out against the introduction of a standard fee to be paid by patients for doctor’s consultations, with which the government had hoped to make savings.
The package is slated to come into force at the beginning of 2010 and last two years. The Senate is due to debate the issue in the winter session.
As health insurance premiums are expected to rise by around ten per cent, the cost-cutting measures were largely uncontested. But the political left raised objections that the public would bear the brunt of the costs.
Under the move, directly consulting a specialist would become more expensive and telephone consultations more common.
But the House rejected the government’s attempts to introduce a SFr30 ($29) fee for the first six doctor’s visits, with which it had hoped to save up to SFr450 million. It also threw out a proposal to grant health insurance companies the right to refuse cooperation with doctors considered too costly.
Switzerland’s health system is among the most expensive in the world.
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