A family member here in the UK gets free prescriptions for a long medical condition. How does the prescription service work in Switzerland, and is free medication available for certain medical conditions?
I am considering a new career in the Neuchâtel province of Switzerland, and my family relocation there.
Unless you are very poor you have to pay. Choose a low franchise, and once you have paid for CHF 300 worth of prescriptions, you only pay about 10% of the costs.
Ask at your town office social security office about getting help with your health insurance policy payments.
I saw this earlier but did not have time to reply. I can understand your concern as I was in a similar position when I moved here. I was very worried about the transition from my NHS prescription pre-payment card to having to pay for my medication!
To reassure you on one point, basic health insurance is not affected by pre-existing conditions, so your family member's condition will be covered. However if you want additional insurance, it may not be covered.
As Sibrinz says, if you're going to have regular medical expenses it's worth paying out more each month with a higher premium, and then having a nice low franchise. Mine is 300 chf. Once that's been met, then you pay 10% of all further medical bills. This 10% contribution is 'capped' at 700 chf per year. So for each person you need to calculate monthly premium + franchise and then up to 700 chf on top of that. Should you have a run of bad health and pass the franchise + 700 chf cap all further costs are covered.
However I had a few other surprises I wish someone had warned me about in advance...
Not all medications are equal. I have found 4 categories (there may be others): Medication that requires a prescription and is covered by health insurance. Medication that requires a prescription but is NOT covered by health insurance (the contraceptive pill is the only example I know of, but it was a surprise). Medication that can either be prescribed or purchased over the counter, and that is covered by health insurance IF prescribed. Medication that is sometimes prescribed or can be purchased over the counter, but is NOT covered by health insurance (e.g. herbal remedies, painkillers).
I have learnt to ask both the prescribing doctor and the pharmacist. Insurance companies don't like it if you send off bills for medication they don't cover! But on the other hand my neurologist regularly writes me a prescription for an anti-nausea medication even though I could purchase it over the counter - because he knows that way I can claim the money back.
The prescription service here is fairly similar to the UK - visit doctor, get prescription, take to pharmacy, collect prescription. However I have noticed that doctors don't tend to issue 'repeat prescriptions' in quite the same way as my doctor did in the UK. I quite often get given a prescription valid for a year (for long-term treatment that doesn't require regular check-ups). Otherwise I get asked at my check-up if I need any new prescriptions.
If you do decide to relocate, can I suggest that your family member asks their GP for an extra-long supply of medication (I brought 6 months supply with me when I moved, with the consent of my GP). This will give you time to settle in, find a doctor you are happy with, and possibly find a specialist you are happy with too (my first general doctor here refused to prescribe for my depression and insisted I found a psychiatrist, whereas in the UK my GP had handled my anti-depressants), without needing to worry about medication running out. Also, be prepared that your family member's medication may be changed - almost all of mine was! I came to the conclusion this was because in the UK GPs seem to go for the cheapest option; because the system here is private doctors don't worry so much about that. My migraine medication costs 67 chf for 6 pills!
Hope that helps.
Thank you both so much for the information
If the OP leaves the UK he would not be entitle to free medication on the NHS, except as an emergency . I am sure loads of people cheat the system however that is why it's so expensive.
The GP can hardly 'consent' to such a thing either! more of turning a blind eye!
It's also important that you return your medical card, if you don't the UK revenue could argue that you never really 'left' or intended to leave the UK permanantly, especially if your still using the services of the NHS! Potentially a very expensive mistake to make.
That's a good point... I had a prescription pre-payment card (with something like 6 months left on it) so in my case I had paid.
Just to clarify, when I made that point I was sharing an idea to reduce the stresses associated with moving (by ensuring you have a good supply of medication - one less thing to worry about) as opposed to advocating trying to ''cheat' the NHS out of free medication.