{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T09:11:17Z","timestamp":1790327477516,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790294400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100019313","name":"Saint Luke\u2019s Health System","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100019313","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["ssph-journal.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Public Health Rev."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Voluntary hospitalization insurance (VHI) in Switzerland has lost part of its traditional role as mandatory health insurance has expanded, hospital financing reforms have increased public co-financing of inpatient care, and patterns of hospitalization have changed. Nevertheless, VHI remains strategically important for hospitals, insurers, and some providers.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Analysis<\/jats:title>\n This policy brief draws on a structured review of academic and grey literature, regulatory and policy documents, market information, and ten semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. The analysis identifies four main challenges: growing dependence on mandatory health insurance, changing patterns of hospitalization, non-uniform benefits across insurers and providers, and fragmented tariff arrangements.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Policy options<\/jats:title>\n Three policy directions emerge: modernizing VHI through innovation, strengthening communication with policyholders and patients, and improving public reporting on coverage, pricing, and use.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n Strengthening transparency while enabling innovation is essential if VHI is to remain a credible and sustainable component of the Swiss healthcare system.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/phrs.2026.1609046","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T08:42:22Z","timestamp":1790325742000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Future of supplementary private hospitalization insurance in Switzerland: a policy brief"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"47","author":[{"given":"Kateryna","family":"Riabchenko","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland","place":["Manno, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlo","family":"De Pietro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland","place":["Manno, Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","volume-title":"Circular 2010\/3 \u201cHealth Insurance Under the VVG\/LCA","year":"2010"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"264","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-023-09221-0","article-title":"Factors associated with the choice of supplementary hospital insurance in Switzerland - an analysis of the Swiss health survey","volume":"23","author":"Altwicker-H\u00e1mori","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"key":"B3","unstructured":"The future of supplementary health insurance in Switzerland: mckinsey Switzerland\n \n \n \n H\u00e4mmerli\n M\n \n \n Ramezani\n S\n \n \n Binder\n S\n \n \n \n 2021"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"227","DOI":"10.3917\/rfas.en606.0227","article-title":"The role of health insurance in regulating the Swiss health care system","author":"Bolgiani","year":"2006","journal-title":"Revue fran\u00e7aise des affaires sociales"},{"key":"B5","first-page":"446","article-title":"Consumer-driven health insurance in Switzerland, where politics is governed by federalism and direct democracy","volume-title":"Private Health Insurance: History, Politics and Performance. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies","author":"Crivelli","year":"2020"},{"key":"B6","first-page":"1","article-title":"Switzerland: Health system review","volume":"17","author":"De Pietro","year":"2015","journal-title":"Health Syst Transit"},{"key":"B7","first-page":"30","article-title":"Hospital reforms in Switzerland","volume":"21","author":"Quentin","year":"2015","journal-title":"Eurohealth"},{"key":"B8","unstructured":"Co\u00fbts et financement du syst\u00e8me de sant\u00e9: Federal Statistical Office\n \n \n 2024"},{"key":"B9","volume-title":"Your Three Minutes in Swiss Cantons: Are Hospitals a Major Financial Risk?","author":"Enriquez","year":"2024"},{"key":"B10","unstructured":"Die Kinderspit\u00e4ler sind in einer finanziellen Schieflage: NZZ; 2023\n \n \n \n Giger\n M-A"},{"key":"B11","unstructured":"Le financement hospitalier actuel a atteint ses limites Bern\n \n \n 2023"},{"key":"B12","volume-title":"Financial Situation and Current Challenges of Swiss Hospitals and Clinics Clarity on Healthcare - Snapshot 2024 and Outlook 2025 Zurich","author":"Schmid","year":"2024"},{"key":"B13","volume-title":"CEO Du Groupe Hirslanden, Et Sanjay Singh, De La CSS","year":"2022"},{"key":"B14","volume-title":"Bedeutung Von Spitalzusatzversicherungen in Der Schweiz Basel BSS Volkswirtschaftliche Beratung","author":"Kr\u00e4mer","year":"2024"},{"key":"B15","unstructured":"FINMA and supplementary health insurance\n \n \n 2023"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e2251965","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2022.51965","article-title":"Comparison of cardiovascular procedure rates in patients with supplementary vs basic insurance in Switzerland","volume":"6","author":"Struja","year":"2023","journal-title":"JAMA Netw Open"},{"key":"B17","unstructured":"Supplementary health insurers: FINMA sees need for comprehensive action regarding settlement 2020"},{"key":"B18","article-title":"Tarifs hospitaliers en soins aigus dans le secteur de l\u2019assurance compl\u00e9mentaire","volume-title":"Un Comparatif Des Co\u00fbts Et Des Tarifs \u00c0 L\u2019\u00c9chelle Nationale Bern: Surveillance Des Prix PUE","author":"Engelberger","year":"2021"},{"key":"B19","unstructured":"Grandes lignes sectorielles sur les \u00ab prestations supplementaires selon la LCA\u00bb Zurich: Association Suisse d\u2019Assurances ASA\n \n \n 2021"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.5771\/9780815725268","volume-title":"Affordable Excellence\u2014The Singapore Healthcare Story","author":"Haseltine","year":"2013"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"315","DOI":"10.1017\/s1744133118000142","article-title":"Can universal access be achieved in a voluntary private health insurance market? 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