(as of September 2011)
Healthcare policy
In its message of 30 September 2009 the Federal Council put before parliament a draft version of a new federal law on the prevention of disease and health promotion (09.076 n). The purpose of this new law is to improve the monitoring, coordination and efficiency of measures aimed at preventing disease, promoting health and ensuring early diagnosis. During the special session held in April 2011, the National Council approved the draft by 97 votes to 71, with one major modification: the new institute originally proposed by the Federal Council would not be set up, but instead certain tasks would be allotted to the existing Swiss Foundation for the Promotion of Health. In May 2011 the CSSH-S decided to address the proposal by 7 votes to 6. It is due to complete its detailed examination of the draft before the 2011 winter session opens. Depending on the decisions taken in relation to the law on prevention, the CSSH-N will hold further deliberations on the three outstanding parliamentary initiatives on early diagnosis of cancer (05.464 n, 05.465 n, 05.467 n) and the parliamentary initiative on a national cancer register (07.501 n).
On 3 December 2010 the Federal Council passed on its message on the revision of the federal law on the fight against infectious diseases among humans (Epidemics Act, 10.107). In June 2011 the CSSH-N decided to address the proposal by 19 votes to 2 with 3 abstentions. On 1 September 2011 it started a detailed examination and so far it is in agreement with all the points set out in the Federal Council’s draft. The Committee will continue its examination during the fourth quarter of 2011.
On 11 March 2011 the Federal Council put before parliament its message on the popular initiative Protection from passive smoking (11.025 n). The popular initiative was submitted on 18 May 2010 with 116,290 valid signatures. It calls for regulations aimed at protecting the population from passive smoking to be standardised throughout the country and for the protection of employees to be extended. It would ban smoking rooms with service in hotels and restaurants. The CSSH-N has proposed that the National Council recommend the rejection of the popular initiative without putting forward a counter-proposal.
Health insurance
With the approval of the managed care proposal (04.062 s) during the 2011 autumn session, a series of major modifications to the Health Insurance Act have now been completed. Various initiatives remain to be addressed by the Committees.
Following the submission of three parliamentary initiatives on improving GP services (07.483 n, 07.484 n, 07.485 n) the procedure for monitoring the efficiency of those services is to be improved and in future decided upon by the doctors together with the health insurance companies. The CSSH-N approved the proposal last January and passed it to the Federal Council for its deliberation on 4 March 2011. The National Council approved the draft on 12 September 2011 and it will now be debated by the Council of States.
On 24 March 2011 the CSSH-N decided to submit an initiative entitled Tarmed. Subsidiary competence for the Federal Council (11.429 n), whereby the Federal Council would be able to intervene if tariff partners cannot reach an agreement on adapting rates to current circumstances. Following the agreement of the CSSH-S in March 2011, the CSSH-N passed on the draft bill and the message on 1 September 2011. On 22 September 2011 the National Council gave its approval. The draft is now due to be examined by the CSSH-S.
In view of the agreement of the CSSH-S to a parliamentary initiative on free health insurance for children (10.407 n) the CSSH-N is now in a position to draw up a draft text. In 2011 health insurance premiums for children amounted to around Fr. 1.8 billion.
Following the CSSH-S, the CSSH-N also decided to support the two initiatives submitted by the canton of Geneva (09.319 s and 09.320 s). Both initiatives call for health insurance companies to set aside separate reserves for each canton and to set an upper limit in each case. The Council of States Committee is considering whether this demand should be implemented as part of the new federal law on monitoring social health insurance.
Old-age and survivors’ insurance (OASI)
The controversial points in the area of benefits and funding (raising the retirement age for women, more flexibility regarding early retirement, etc.) will be put before parliament only in the coming legislative period. Attempts are being made in parliament, however, to see that some of the controversial points are addressed earlier. For example, parliamentary initiatives concerning the raising of retirement age for women and the adjustment of pensions to salary and price rises have been submitted in both the National Council and the Council of States. On 31 March 2011 the Council of States Committee endorsed the parliamentary initiative submitted by Forster: OASI. 65/65 (10.524 s) and in addition submitted its own initiative on a Financial Guarantee for the OASI (11.430 s). The CSSH-N will examine the two texts together with similar initiatives submitted to the National Council (10.510 n and 10.509 n) during the last quarter of 2011.
Disability insurance
In its message to parliament of 24 February 2010 the Federal Council put forward a first series of measures concerning the 6th revision of the disability insurance scheme (10.032 s). The Councils both approved the revision in a final vote on 17 March 2011. The message on the second series of measures in the 6th revision of the DI (11.030 s) was approved by the Federal Council on 11 May 2011. Following hearings held during August, the CSSH-S will start examining the issue in detail in October. Priority will be given to modifying the disability allowances system, improved integration and rehabilitation, reducing disability allowances for children, reducing the DI fund’s debt and an intervention mechanism for guaranteeing a financial balance in the long term.
Accident insurance
The federal Accident Insurance Act (AIA) has not been systematically revised since it came into force in 1984. The Federal Council has submitted a proposed modification (08.047 n, projects I and II) aimed at bringing the text of the Act up to date. Following an extensive and heated preliminary debate in the National Council Committee, its Council decided during the 2010 autumn session to pass proposal no. 1 back to the Federal Council. During the 2011 spring session the Council of States voted in favour of this decision. Proposal no. 2 has been put on hold by both Councils.
Policy on families
In August 2007 the CSSH-N decided to address parliamentary initiative 07.419 “For a comprehensive policy on families” (Hochreutener). In February 2008 the CSSH-S approved this decision. On the basis of the preliminary work done by its sub-committee on family policy, the CSSH-N submitted the draft version of Article 115a of the federal constitution for consultation. According to the proposal put forward by the majority of the Committee, the following points should be included in the constitution: the compatibility of family and career and the provision of adequate out-of-school day-care facilities. The Commission will discuss its final proposals as well as the question of integrating maintenance aid in November 2011.
Policy on drugs
In autumn 2008 the electorate approved the revised version of the Narcotics Act (keyword: four-pillar policy) that had been speeded up by a CSSH-N initiative. The CSSH-N later proceeded to re-examine the issue of cannabis, which had been excluded from the revised version. In March 2009 it agreed to address parliamentary initiative 04.439 submitted by the Christian Democrats parliamentary group, and the CSSH-S followed suit in January 2010. This initiative proposes that, under the Narcotics Act, the use of cannabis be punishable through a fine. On the basis of the preliminary work carried out by its sub-committee on drugs policy, on 1 March 2011 the CSSH-N passed on a preliminary draft of a modification to the Narcotics Act for consultation. In view of the results of the consultation, the majority of the Committee members approved, on 2 September 2011, the modification of one of the principal points of the draft, namely that only adults should be fined for consuming cannabis. Such fines would be set at Fr. 100 and could be imposed only if the culprit were carrying 10 g of cannabis or less. The Committee approved the draft with 14 votes to 8 and 3 abstentions and passed it to its Council and the Federal Council for their deliberation.
Further topics and issues
In its message of 25 May 2011 the Federal Council set out its proposal for the total revision of the Foodstuffs Act (11.034 n), according to which Swiss legislation on foodstuffs is to be brought into line with EU legislation, which would enable Switzerland to be part of the EU’s early-warning system regarding foodstuffs and product safety. Two proposed new features are of particular interest to consumers: inspection reports concerning food providers (including the catering industry) are to be more transparent, and only factual evidence is to be used in the advertising of cosmetics. The CSSH-N will start examining the draft in November 2011.
Following the approval of both Committees of the parliamentary initiative submitted by Pasquier – Ratification of ILO Agreement no. 183 on the protection of motherhood (07.455 n) – the CSSH-N passed a draft bill on for consultation at the end of May 2011. The Committee will be looking at the results of the consultation in November 2011.
Both Committees having agreed to address the issue the CSSH-S is drawing up a draft bill on the parliamentary initiative Abolition of obligatory reimbursement by cantons of origin (08.473 s).
The Committees will continue to examine other issues such as the introduction of a new system for funding hospitals and the implementation of new healthcare funding at a cantonal level.