Any tourist who gets hurt on the Swiss ski slopes is rescued, operated on and treated without payment in advance, but then some tourists refuse to pay their bills. On February 14, the BaZ newspaper writes about this.
It is reported that in the event of an emergency on the Swiss slopes, the clinics first provide assistance and then issue an invoice. At the same time, medical institutions take financial risks.
According to BaZ, most patients appreciate the treatment and pay for it, but not all. The Graubünden Cantonal Hospital registers outstanding invoices of CHF 200,000 to CHF 500,000 every year.
At FMI hospitals in the Bernese Oberland (Frutigen, Meiringen, Interlaken), around 4% of invoices sent abroad remain unpaid. At the same time, the number of unpaid bills in the Bernese Oberland is reported to have decreased recently, but in Chur it has increased.
The Oberwallis Hospital Center also speaks of a potential increasing risk of non-payment of bills and incurring losses. Approximately 200 times a year, the Upper Valais Hospital Center has to go to a debt collection agency for help.
In this case, it is possible to collect payment of the bills in about half of the cases, and often only a part of the cost of treatment is paid. At the same time, patients from non-EU countries refuse to pay their bills more often than EU citizens.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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