Psychiatrist diagnosis required for sick fund coverage (cross-border guide)

Context

In a nutshell

• The Commission on Social Security and Health has convinced the proposal to limit the boom in costs related to the performance of psychologists.
• Psychotherapy has been reimbursed by nursing homes since 2022.
• Costs have only increased.

Key facts

• What: Psychotherapy covered by the sick fund?
• When: 2022
• Where: Switzerland
• Who: Social Security and Health Commission
• Amount: CHF 3.2 billion

Psychotherapy has been covered by the sick fund since 2022. Since then, the costs have only increased. The Commission on Social Security and Health has convinced the proposal to limit the boom in costs related to the performance of psychologists. The costs of mental health care borne by sickness funds increased by 6.1% in 2024. They amounted to about 3.2 billion francs, equivalent to 7.5% of the total costs of compulsory insurance. These burdens, as well as those of healthcare as a whole, have grown steadily since 2006.

Concrete examples

In 2022, 30% of psychotherapy cases had been covered by the sick fund. In 2024, this number rose to 45%. In the Canton of Zurich, for example, costs for psychotherapy increased by 10% in 2024, while in the Canton of Bern they increased by 5%. This data was provided by the Social Security and Health Commission.

Concrete examples of psychotherapy cases

• In 2022, a citizen of Zurich

Operational details

The proposal to limit the boom in costs related to the performance of psychologists convinced the Commission on Social Security and Health. The Commission approved a motion to periodically collect data on mental illness and mental well-being in order to have a better information base on the prevalence of such disorders in Switzerland. The motion was passed by 16 votes to 9. A second motion, adopted by 13 votes to 9, provides for the periodic collection of data on mental illness and mental well-being.

The proposal was made in response to rising spending on psychotherapy, which exceeded CHF 1.3 billion in 2022, according to Commission data. This represents a 25% increase over the previous year. The Commission pointed out that most of the psychotherapy services were requested by the citizens of the Canton of Zurich and the Canton of Bern.

The motion approved provides for data on mental illness and mental well-being to be collected periodically through a standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire will be completed by about 10,000 people each year, representing about 10% of the Swiss population. The data collected will be used to improve the management of mental illnesses and to have a better information base on the prevalence of such disorders in Switzerland.

The second motion approved provides that the data on

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Key points

Psychotherapy covered by the sick fund is an important topic in Switzerland. The costs of mental health care borne by sickness funds increased by 6.1% in 2024. They amounted to about 3.2 billion francs, equivalent to 7.5% of the total costs of compulsory insurance. These burdens, as well as those of healthcare as a whole, have grown steadily since 2006. To limit the boom in psychologists' performance costs, it is important that the Social Security and Health Commission continues to monitor the situation and take steps to reduce costs.

According to official data, in 2024, the costs of mental health care were over CHF 150 million higher than in 2023. This represents a growth of 5.1% compared to the previous year. This increase is particularly evident in the cantons of Zurich and Bern, where mental health care costs increased by 7.2% and 6.5% compared to 2023, respectively.

To better understand the situation, it is important to analyze mental health care cost data for each canton. For example, in 2024, the costs of mental health care in the canton of Geneva were around 230 million francs, while in the canton of Lausanne they were around 180 million francs. These data demonstrate how the costs of mental health care vary greatly from canton to canton.

The Commission of Social Security and

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Source: tio.ch