Policy

Health and accessible care

Household premiums and out-of-pocket costs need to be considered alongside the organisation and quality of care. A system can become more expensive while essential services remain difficult to reach. Policy should examine primary care, coordination between providers, avoidable administrative duplication and the distribution of costs. A financial transfer alone does not explain whether care has improved.

The University Hospital in Zurich.Photo credits

The Party’s position

The PCP supports accessible care, a stronger public service role and a fairer distribution of healthcare costs. Cost management must preserve necessary treatment and decent working conditions. Investment in primary care, prevention and coordination should be evaluated against real access, quality and the burden placed on households.

The Chinese experience

China’s experience offers subjects for research in primary care organisation, public health capacity, prevention and coordinated procurement. The Party examines how these arrangements operate, the resources they require and their results. Relevant lessons should be assessed at the level of a service or mechanism rather than by treating the entire financing system as interchangeable.

Application within Swiss institutions

Proposals start from Switzerland’s existing insurance, cantonal responsibilities, healthcare providers and professional institutions. The PCP proposes better coordination of care and targeted improvements to public provision, together with transparent debate about financing. Any change must explain its effects on patients, staff, insurers and the public budgets concerned.

Proposed measures

  • Strengthen accessible primary care and continuity of treatment.
  • Improve coordination between hospital, outpatient and community services.
  • Publish understandable information about costs and service responsibilities.
  • Examine coordinated purchasing where quality and supply can be maintained.
  • Assess household burdens across premiums, contributions and taxes.
  • Include staffing and working conditions in service planning.

Resources and implementation

Reforms should distinguish service organisation from the redistribution of financing. Proposals require a cost baseline, an account of transitional expenditure and a quality assessment. People using services and healthcare workers should contribute to evaluation. Savings must not be asserted before the underlying mechanism and evidence have been examined.

Assessment of results

  • Access and waiting times for necessary care.
  • Continuity between different providers.
  • Household financial burden by income.
  • Staffing stability and care quality.

Contribute to this policy

A contribution on this policy should identify the measure concerned, the evidence to consider and the practical change proposed. Explain the relevant institution and any implications for resources or access. The research method gives the common framework for examining these questions.

Sources and further reading

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