Swiss Review 5/2019

Swiss Review / September 2019 / No.5 19 > > Facilitate uniform funding of in- patient and outpatient care. Premi- um payers are being charged too much under the current system. > > Embrace digitalisation by making greater use of leading-edge com- munication. It is high time to intro- duce electronic patient records. of unnecessary treatment will allow the healthcare sector to cut costs but maintain the same standard of care. > > Avoid expensive and potentially harmful overtreatment of medical cases. It is high time to change the healthcare sector’s excessive and outdated tariffs. > > Promote outpatient care and re- duce hospital capacities. see a correlation between quality and cost. > > Put an end to expensive false incentives such as the “arms race” among cantonal hospitals. > > Patients, too, need to be more aware of the cost of their own healthcare. Innovations such as vol- untary health savings accounts of- fering Pillar-3-style tax exemptions could be the way forward. > > We need freedom of choice and competition – not false incentives. A standardised approach to funding inpatient and outpatient care is one of the things that would help in this regard. Volume-based wage incentives for hospital doctors ought to be abolished. > > We must strengthen and pro- mote awareness of patient rights. promoting and funding projects that offer an intelligent combina- tion of advice, prevention, treatment and care. > > As long as the socially unaccept- able principle of per capita premi- ums continues to apply, corrective measures are needed. The Greens are in favour of socially responsible premium reductions and oppose cost-cutting. payable in cash. This amount should be twice as much at hospi- tals as at independent GP practices. > > We need to stop expanding the range of mandatory benefits in Swiss primary care in an ill- thought-out fashion (e.g. fertility preservation for cancer patients). > > Reduce the price of medicine by introducing a benchmark pricing system and by improving transpar- ency in relation to pharmaceutical research costs and ex-factory pricing. > > Introduce pricing models that promote cooperation among service providers and enhance coordinated care (overhaul of the TARMED tariff system). Well-integrated foreign nationals barely have any say in how Switzerland is run. This, in turn, has led to criticism of the voting rights enjoyed by Swiss Abroad who have never lived in their home country. Should foreigners who have lived in Switzerland for at least ten years be allowed to vote? NO Having the right to vote is a key privilege of being Swiss. NO The right to vote should continue to be limited to Swiss citizens. Only then can we ensure effective social and political integration. Neither YES nor NO Cantons and municipalities should be free to decide themselves. YES Well-integrated foreign nationals should at least be able to vote at cantonal and municipal level. YES It should be a given that anyone who lives here is able to vote. We have launched corresponding initiatives in a number of cantons. NO Swiss citizens have both rights and obligations. Hence, people should only have the right to vote if they become Swiss citizens. YES The fact that a quarter of Switzer- land’s resident population have no political rights is a scandalous stain on our democracy. A popular initiative submitted this summer aims to put a limit on arms exports. Should there be a ban on arms exports to countries that are at war or affected by civil war? YES The BDP helped launch the initiative. The Federal Council should no longer be left to rule on this. The arms industry will also benefit in the long term if we achieve dialogue and a broad consensus. NO We support the Swiss arms industry. Our current provisions are adequate and significantly limit the extent to which arms can be exported to countries that are at war or affected by civil war. NO A blanket ban would be a step too far. YES The GLP is a member of the initia- tive committee. YES The Green Party wants a total ban on all arms exports. Switzerland should actively promote peace by taking advantage of its special role as a neutral country with a humani- tarian tradition. NO Our national security depends on the arms industry and its ability to export. Our arms exporters are already subject to stringent regula- tions. YES Switzerland has better things to offer to war-torn regions than weapons. Its own security is also dependant on being able to resolve conflict through negotiation. Air traffic is having an extremely negative impact on the world’s climate. Should Switzerland introduce a CO 2 tax on airline tickets? YES Air travel is too cheap at present. The airline industry must also work to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. YES However, any tax will need to be economically viable, with most of its proceeds redistributed to the Swiss population, and the rest going towards a climate fund to finance a range of innovations. YES We submitted a motion on this to the National Council quite some time ago. YES The airline industry must also do its bit to combat climate change. All of the countries neighbouring Switzerland already have this tax in place. NO An individual tax in Switzerland is of no benefit to our climate. Aero- planes will continue to take off re- gardless. Do we want the wealthy to be the only ones who can afford to travel in future? YES Any green tax on plane tickets should vary depending on the distance and the cabin class flown. The Swiss population should be refunded the cost of this levy in full. YES We need to protect our climate. We should not let major carbon emitters off the hook.