Steps to end 230 year old quackery are finally taken. German Bundesrat will vote about this reform before the summer break.
Which begs the question: what about Switzerland? Does science matter or not?
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I refer you to the BÜÜgg thread.
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They stopped that nonsense in the UK back in 2018 and homeopathy is no longer funded by the NHS.
IMO, any alternative medicine which shows no greater efficacy than a placebo should be removed from health insurance coverage.
There is evidence that there is a placebo effect in healing but this doesnât need a multi-million franc industry to fund it.
In the US, some Swiss homeopathy liquids were banned as they were not clean enough and gave people eye infections.
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I just read about the story in Switzerland. Back in 2005, the Swiss federal government decided to stop covering homeopathy with the mandatory health insurance. The population exploded in ire.
A popular initiative ended in a 2009 vote where 2/3 of people said yes for mandatory health insurance to cover homeopathy, acupuncture, phytoteraphy, anthroposophic medicine, etc. The power of democracy made them work and yield results.
The biggest drawback with direct democracy is that people can end up voting on a subject they donât understand.
A quick google around suggests that Germany spent 0.1% of its total health budget on homeopathy whereas Switzerland spent a whopping⌠0.08%
The UK was 0.003% of the NHS budget. 
The second biggest drawback with direct democracy is that people can end up voting on a subject when they donât understand how to interpret data.
93â952â000â000 * 0.08/100 ~75.2 million francs.
The trend is worrying:
..
Growing Market: The Swiss homeopathy market is experiencing strong growth, with some estimates forecasting a 15.26% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2026-2033, potentially reaching over 17 billion USD by 2033.
Anyone defending spending tax payers, or insurance premiums on homeopathy or other quack medicine, however small the amount is either stupid or trolling this thread, or possibly both.
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Yeah, I know - and it was a bit tongue-in-cheek. Homeopathy is a load of bollocks - nobody can deny that, and apart from it being that perennial trigger topic, I canât help wondering whether it has its uses for people who are looking for a âpill-for-every-illâ.
In the UK, people go to the doctor demanding antibiotics for whatever sniffle or itchy orifice they have and that is hugely dangerous. If you just send them off with a blister pack of woo-medicine on the other handâŚ
ETA - also tongue-in-cheek (a bit).
I asked my AI (Perplexity) what was covered
In Switzerland, certain homeopathic services and products can be covered by health insurance, but only under specific conditions and mostly via basic (KVG/LAMal) and voluntary supplementary insurance.[comparis +3]
What basic insurance covers
Mandatory basic health insurance (KVG/LAMal) covers classical homeopathy only if:
⢠It is performed by a conventionally trained doctor (FMHârecognized) who has additional federally approved training in homeopathy.[expat-savvy +2]
⢠The treatment is billed via the TARMED tariff system, and standard costâsharing applies (annual deductible plus 10% coâpayment up to CHF 700 per year).[moneyland +2]
Some homeopathic medicines are also covered under basic insurance if they are listed in the specialâmedicines list (Spezialitätenliste) and prescribed by a doctor.
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The complementary medicine cost covered by the mandatory insurances is 18 million, homeopathy is by far the most popular among them. To the extent that there is a (placebo) effect, it has been shown that you wouldnât get that just by distributing placebos (iodine tablets style). Balance that with the fact that a full third of the population uses it.
So, you get an effect for 600 Rappen per patient. That is bloody damn cost-effective.
Btw the complementary medicine causes 0.04% of the costs covered by the mandatory insurances, but only 0.02% of the total healthcare cost.
What about emergencies?
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Amazing that Switzerland has a âChurch Taxâ, thats one hell of a âplaceboâ but the majority pay it.
You can opt out of it - no drama. 
You can live in a canton (eg VD) which does not have church tax at all.
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Or Neuchatel where it is voluntary and there are not many who volunteer to pay it.
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Neuchatel is opt in rather than opt out, itâs interesting how around 75% pay in other cantons.
How do you arrive at that figure?
You want the placebo effect? We have also already the pill for you. 
This company makes placebo pills (for those who do not work in Pharma, placebo pills for clinical trials are damn expensive to make! 
). 20 years ago, we used to make jokes about a âpill for those damn daysâ. And now, it is commercialized.
and yes, this company sells placebo pills of all shapes and formsâŚ
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