📋 Tender Overview
{
detected_language: French,
translated_text: In order to better prepare Switzerland for future health crises of various magnitudes, the Commission for Social Security and Public Health of the National Council (CSSS-N) has taken up the project for a partial revision of the Epidemics Act. This law aims to protect the population against communicable diseases of all kinds. In its subsequent discussions, the commission will take into account the lessons learned and the assessment drawn from the COVID-19 pandemic. By 17 votes to 8, the commission has taken up the partial revision of the Epidemics Act (25.069). This revision is based in particular on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and clarifies the distribution of competencies between the Confederation and the cantons in view of future health crises. It also aims to strengthen the fight against antibiotic resistance and to facilitate the use of new technological possibilities for detecting and monitoring diseases. During the last autumn session, the Council of States made various amendments to the Federal Councils project. It notably specified the conditions under which there is a specific risk to public health and strengthened the participation of social partners, health organizations, and service providers. It also transposed into law - somewhat tightening - the conditions applicable to mandatory vaccination that were already provided for in the ordinance. Furthermore, it integrated into the project mandatory compensations for businesses. The CSSS-N has taken note of the various evaluations and studies that have been or are being conducted, notably by the Federal Parliaments Management Commissions, regarding the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasizes that a future pandemic may be different. Therefore, in revising the Epidemics Act, it will be necessary to draw general lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to take into account all types of communicable diseases and potential epidemics. A minority proposes to the National Council to suspend the examination of the project pending the report that the Federal Council must present in execution of the motion by Noser For an independent examination of the management of the coronavirus crisis according to public health principles (23.3675) and another minority to refer the project back to the Federal Council for revision. The commission rejected each of these proposals by 17 votes to 8. It has tasked the administration with making various clarifications and will begin the article-by-article discussion of the project at its next meeting. The commission adopts its project for an increase in family allowances. After the National Council rejected the proposal to classify the iv. pa. Jost Strong families through adapted allowances (23.406), the commission adopted, by 12 votes to 8 and 5 abstentions, its project for the implementation of this initiative. During the article-by-article discussion, it made no changes to the version that had been put out for consultation. The project aims to strengthen the purchasing power of families by raising the minimum amounts of family allowances set in federal law. The commission proposes to set the minimum amount for the child allowance at 250 francs and for the training allowance at 300 francs. Only some cantons currently pay family allowances equivalent to or higher than these amounts, so the majority of cantons will be called upon to modify their practices. The Federal Council is now invited to take a position. The project will then be ready to be addressed by the National Council. Health insurance: several remedies to reduce the costs of means and devices. The commission has begun examining the amendment to the federal law on health insurance concerning the reimbursement of means and devices acquired in the European Economic Area (26.060). The amendment proposed by the Federal Council aims to give insured persons the possibility to bill the mandatory health insurance (AOS) for certain means and devices acquired in the European Economic Area, specifically easy-to-use single-use materials that do not require personalized advice or repair. This type of material represents about half of the costs in the field of means and devices. The commission believes that the proposed amendment is mainly to the advantage of patients and hopes that it will help increase pressure on costs at the national level. However, before making a decision on this project, it wishes to have a quantified assessment of its financial impact. It has thus tasked the administration with making the necessary clarifications and will resume discussions during the first quarter of 2027. The commission believes that acquiring single-use materials abroad is only one means among others to contain the rise in costs in this area. It has therefore unanimously decided to submit the motion Mandatory implementation of cost control in the list of means and devices (LiMA). (26.4715), which tasks the Federal Council with regularly monitoring the maximum reimbursement amounts and evaluating the effectiveness, adequacy, and cost-effectiveness of products that represent a significant share of costs. To have detailed information, the Federal Council will also need to create the necessary legal bases. Furthermore, the commission has tasked the administration with presenting an international comparison of the reimbursement systems applicable to means and devices. Extension of the investment rights of the supplementary LPP institution with the Federal Finance Administration. Unanimously, the commission adopted, during the overall vote, the amendment to the federal law on old-age, survivors, and disability insurance (LPP) (26.068), allowing the supplementary LPP institution to continue to invest with the Federal Treasury, interest-free, pension assets from the field of free passage. This amount is limited to a total of 10 billion francs. Due to market fluctuations and the decline
