Swiss healthcare system reforms

Switzerland is undergoing various healthcare reforms aimed at managing costs, improving data management, and regulating service access.

In August 2026, the Health Commission of the Swiss National Council supported a proposal to restrict direct access to psychotherapy through basic health insurance. The reform would require a mandatory initial diagnosis by a psychiatrist to ensure medical necessity and distinguish clinical treatments from general counseling. This follows significant cost increases, with expenditures for psychotherapeutic treatments reaching nearly 1 billion Swiss francs in 2024.

By September 2026, legislative focus shifted toward digital infrastructure. The Swiss National Council approved a law to reform the Electronic Patient Dossier (EPD) system, transitioning it to an ‘opt-out’ model for the general population and making it mandatory for healthcare providers billing through compulsory health insurance. This reform, expected to be operational by 2030, is being developed alongside the Swiss Health Data Space (Swiss HDS) to create a secure infrastructure for standardized health data exchange.