Our new study provides fresh insights into the development of healthcare costs from 2012 to 2021, revealing that demographic changes are often overestimated as a cost driver.
During the period analyzed, healthcare costs per capita increased by CHF 579. Analyzing the cost growth by healthcare providers shows significant differences in their contributions to overall cost growth. More than half of the increase was attributable to outpatient care from doctors and hospitals, while costs for inpatient treatments actually decreased over the ten years examined.
The data indicate that technological advancements play a major role in rising costs, particularly for medications. An analysis of drug costs in pharmacies and doctors' practices highlights this trend: since 2012, newly approved medications in the basic insurance system have added CHF 180 per capita, accounting for nearly one-third of the total cost increase.
A summary of the report can be found here, and the full report is accessible below.