Switzerland spends the third largest percentage of its economic output on health care of 34 industrialised countries, figures issued on Tuesday showed.
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According to the Federal Statistics Office, healthcare expenditure in 2008—the latest figures available—soared to SFr58.5 billion ($60.5 billion), or 10.7 per cent of gross domestic product. That is 5.9 per cent more than the previous five years.
It puts Switzerland among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s biggest spenders, with only the United States and France spending higher percentages of their GDP on health care at 16 per cent and 11.2 per cent respectively.
Each resident in Switzerland spent on average SFr7,589 on health care in 2008, or about SFr632 a month.
About two-thirds of the costs were covered by individuals and the basic health insurance that every Swiss resident must have by law. State contributions climbed from 16.2 per cent to 18.3 per cent.
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