Patients who visit the emergency room of Swiss hospitals because of non-urgent complaints could soon face a 50-franc charge, under plans being put forward in parliament. Next week, the National Council’s Social Security and Health Committee will discuss the special fine, which is aimed at easing costs and pressure on the healthcare system.

How will the Swiss hospital emergency room fee work?

Under the plans, anyone who visits the emergency room with a minor or non-urgent complaint, or one that should be addressed by a GP would be charged a 50-franc fee. While the proposal would not force hospitals to use the fee, it would give Swiss cantons and medical providers the right to impose the tax if they choose to. While federal authorities would provide some guidance, it would ultimately be up to each canton to decide what a “minor or non-urgent complaint” is.

The proposal itself is not new, having originally been created by Green Liberal Party National Councillor Martin Bäumle before the COVID pandemic. Though it was submitted and accepted by parliament in 2019 and 2021, it has remained unratified since it was last approved by the health commission in 2023.

Healthcare costs in Switzerland continue to rise

In the original proposal, Bäumle wrote that unnecessary visits to the emergency room put heavy pressure on the Swiss healthcare system, at a time when hospitals are struggling with acute staff shortages. “Many people go to the emergency room frequently for minor problems and put it to the test: because of them, patients who really need acute help have to wait longer," he noted.

At a time of rising prices for health insurance, the proposal also argued that the tax would lower overall healthcare costs by reducing the number of emergency admissions. "Of course, with this measure, we are not revolutionising the health system, but it is a small cost-containment measure that will not hurt anyone," Bäumle concluded.

Having already passed through the halls of power on multiple occasions, the plan does have its advocates. Speaking to Tio, Swiss People’s Party National Councillor Rémy Wyssmann said that the extra charge was reasonable: "Anyone with a genuine medical condition would be willing to pay this moderate tax," he argued.

Emergency room fee a "bureaucratic monster", say Swiss hospitals

In opposition, Social Democratic Party National Councillor Sarah Wyss said that she hoped that the plan would be scrapped. She argued that the charge could put people off going to hospital, even if they have a serious condition that needs addressing.

Wyss added that most people do not know what a “minor case” would look like. Using the example of abdominal pain, she noted that it “could be a minor case, but it could just as easily be appendicitis, which requires a diagnosis."

Some healthcare providers are also not keen on the charge. Anne-Geneviève Bütikofer, director of the hospital association H+, wrote in a statement that the tax would create a “bureaucratic monster” which would end up costing more than it would bring in.

"The fact that many people resort to emergency care due to the lack of general practitioners should be addressed in other ways, for example by investing in the training of specialists… Charging this tax would further increase the administrative burden on hospitals,” she concluded.

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