Late hospital invoices push down health-cost statistics

Costs in mandatory basic insurance have fallen in the latest billing. That is not enough for an all-clear on health spending: the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) explains the decline mainly by invoices submitted late. Those affected are above all outpatient treatments in hospitals, whose billing has been switched to a new tariff system since the start of 2026.

In the monitoring published on 6 November, the FOPH reports an average of 4,846 francs per insured person for the last twelve months. Compared with the corresponding period a year earlier, that is 60 francs or 1.2 percent less. The figure for the third quarter of 2026 thus denotes a rolling year-on-year comparison – not solely spending from July to September.

Outpatient hospital services down 176 francs per capita

The largest gap is in outpatient hospital treatment. Here the statistics show 799 francs per person, 176 francs less than a year earlier. That corresponds to a decline of 18 percent. According to the FOPH, this group is particularly hard hit by the billing delays.

This shortfall is larger than the decline in total per-capita costs. Other service groups therefore offset a considerable part of it. Outpatient services in doctors' practices rose by 75 francs, or 7.2 percent. At 1,127 francs they form the largest of the cost blocks the FOPH lists individually.

Medicines from pharmacies or doctors' practices account for 909 francs, one franc more than before. Inpatient hospital treatment is recorded at 899 francs, six francs more. Each figure describes average annual spending per insured person, not the price of a single stay or prescription.

At Spitex, the smaller cost block grows faster

The strongest percentage increase reported by the FOPH is for services provided by Spitex organisations: 14.4 percent. In francs that corresponds to a rise of 24 francs per person. Billed costs for psychotherapy provided by psychologists rose by 9.5 percent, or eight francs.

The comparison shows why percentages and franc amounts belong together. The larger relative increase at Spitex contributes less to the absolute increase in this comparison than the 75 additional francs for doctors' practices. A ranking by growth rates alone would shift the weights.

There is also a change in grouping: psychological psychotherapy is now reported separately. In the combined «other services» group, costs therefore fall by eleven francs, or 6.1 percent. This decline cannot readily be read as a reduction in treatments.