Adults seeking treatment at Swiss hospitals' accident and emergency (A&E) departments without a doctor's referral note should pay a fee of CHF50 ($63), say lawmakers in the House of Representatives. The goal is to curb rising healthcare costs. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox On Wednesday they adopted a related proposal by 96 votes to 91, with 3 abstentions. The project aims to relieve the pressure on hospital emergency admissions and curb rising costs in the healthcare system, the parliamentary initiative says. Exceptions are made for certain groups of people. These include children, pregnant women or people who have been referred to a hospital in writing by a doctor, pharmacist or telemedicine centre. People who have been referred to a hospital by an outpatient clinic would also be exempt. The fee is aimed at adults who go to hospital A&E departments on their own unannounced, said Patrick Hässig of the Liberal Green Party, who presented the proposal.
