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Those with supplementary insurance end up on the operating table more often than those with basic insurance.
In Switzerland, patients with private supplementary insurance have a better chance of undergoing heart surgery than those with basic insurance. In a new study by the University of Basel and the Cantonal Hospital Aarau, the probability of receiving such an operation was eleven percent higher for people with supplementary insurance.
“This indicates a significant imbalance in treatment,” the authors wrote in the study published on Friday in the journal Jama Network Open.
Additional cost of 5.7 million
Across Switzerland, 895 additional cardiological interventions were carried out every year. According to the study, this resulted in additional costs of around CHF 5.74 million per year, which could be saved without compromising the quality of care.
The authors of the study would have actually expected a lower number of cardiological interventions among those with additional insurance. People with private supplementary insurance tend to be healthier and are hospitalized less often.
“Lucrative patient class”
They suspect that the reasons for this unequal treatment lie outside of medicine. “There are clear economic incentives for the hospitals to perform inpatient procedures on this lucrative class of patients instead of doing without them or at least performing them on an outpatient basis,” research group leader Philipp Schütz was quoted as saying in a statement from the University of Basel.
While the health insurance companies pay for the treatment of those with basic insurance with a flat rate per case, the hospitals can charge additional fees for those with additional insurance, some of which benefit the medical profession. In addition, privately insured people would generally make more use of medical care.
The study also showed a general increase in heart surgery – both for people with basic insurance and for people with private supplementary insurance. This increase can not only be attributed to population growth, but is also based on increasing demand, the study said. The study is based on data from 590,000 patients. (SDA)