Swiss feelings of contentment persist; Tax rejected for ER visits without referral; Zurich employees may earn bonus for Saturdays

News for 14 January

Despite the future outlook being seen as increasingly gloomy, the Swiss population is still satisfied with its living conditions. This from the new ‘Hope Barometer’ survey, published by the University of St. Gallen. Even though many people are pessimistic about future developments, “satisfaction with and confidence in one's own life are relatively strong.”

The biggest sources of hope and contentment in Switzerland are “good health, a happy family, marriage or partnership, harmony in life, personal self-determination, good relationships with other people and a meaningful job,” the study found. “Money, career and sex come last.”

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The controversial and much-debated move to impose a 50-franc fee on those who seek emergency care at a hospital without a doctor’s referral, has been turned down in the consultation process.

Under the proposal, the 50 francs would be part of the health insurance co-pay, which means the person would have to pay it out of their own pocket. Supporters of the proposal argued that too many people show up at emergency rooms with mild symptoms that don’t require urgent care but should be treated by family doctors. They also say such visits not only unnecessarily use hospitals’ resources, but also contribute to the already very high healthcare costs.

At the conclusion of the consultation process on Friday, the Federation of Swiss Doctors, the Swiss Society for Emergency and Rescue Medicine, the Conference of Cantonal Health Directors, the umbrella organization of health insurers Santésuisse, as well as most political parties have rejected the proposal.

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The youth division of Social Democratic Party (JUSO) in Zurich is submitting an initiative for a Saturday bonus for employees, especially those in healthcare and public transport sectors. Up to now, they only get paid extra for Sunday work.

With a Saturday surcharge of 5.75 francs per hour, the staff will receive "at least a little more appreciation," the party said. At the same time, JUSO sees the bonus as a way to alleviate labour shortages, as it may provide an incentive for more people to want to work on weekends.

The proposal will be debated at one of the upcoming municipal council meetings. But, given the left-wing majority in parliament, the Saturday surcharge “has a good chance of being accepted.”

How much additional costs this measure would entail for the city bank account is still unclear.