Although affluent Switzerland only has a population of eight million, about the size of Pennsylvania, in 1994 its economy and health care system were very similar to the USA. At the same time that Bill and Hillary Clinton’s health care reform efforts failed, the Swiss adopted a system of universal health care after a study of various health care systems and proposing an approach which best suited its particular traditions and needs.
In his book “The Healing of America, A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care”, T. R. Reid points out that the Swiss had a very strong sense of “solidarity”. He quotes Swiss president M. Couchepin: “A society cannot have complete equality…You can earn more money than your neighbor; that is not society’s business. But a good railway system, a good school system, a good health system – the basic needs of the people – must be handled with a high degree of equality. To have a great sense of solidarity among the people, all must have an equal right – and particularly a right to medical care.”
Switzerland’s health care system had consisted of a number of for-profit insurance companies. Its system was second in cost only to the USA, and by 1993, almost 5% of its population was without health coverage.
After careful study, a national health system based upon compulsory health care – LAMal – was established via national referendum. Payments were deducted from pay checks.
The government determined the price for a broad spectrum of basic health care and their prices and the insurance companies were required to provide the services, without exception, and without profit. However, they were allowed to sell supplementary coverage and also to market other forms of insurance.
No one could be refused basic, essential health care and it was at no cost to them. According to Reid, “No claim can be denied if it signed by a doctor or a hospital.”
Switzerland also adopted the French system of digitizing every person’s entire medical records onto cards they carried, thus eliminating much of the expense of record keeping and enhancing health care.
Switzerland remains the second most expensive health care system at 11% of Gross National Product. But that compares favorably with USA at 17%.
As for the insurance companies which fought against reform, they are vigorously competing to provide the non-profit basic care and making more money than ever through sale of supplementary policies and other forms of insurance.
PA has 12.5 million people, fyi. It could easily have a single-payer system and cut costs in half, while freeing business from paperwork and annual shopping for plans, a big drag on business
When you say it’s at no cost to them, what you mean is that there are no private payments at the time of treatment. SOMEONE pays for it. It’s just that instead of paying our own way, the entire community shares the burden.