The Swiss Mental Health Care System

The United States and Switzerland are among the world’s wealthiest countries. Both are highly innovative and entrepreneurial, ranking high in global competitiveness and innovation and with similar liberal economies. This column highlights features of the health care system in Switzerland, a country with an exclusively private health insurance system, with federally mandated universal health insurance. Residents can choose from about 58 insurance companies. Switzerland regulates these companies and negotiates reimbursement rates. The Swiss model of health care and its provision of comprehensive psychiatric and substance abuse treatment could inform policy as the United States considers major changes to its health care laws. Switzerland could serve as an example for developing a mental health care model that ensures appropriate services, with a high density of psychiatric inpatient facilities and mental health care providers, while maintaining affordable care.