Federal Health Act

The debate surrounding a Federal Health Act and its inclusion in the Federal Constitution has gained momentum in recent years. Scientific analyses, political position statements, and events have taken up the key concerns articulated by the SAMS in its position paper titled «For a Federal Health Act».

In its statement published in May 2024, the SAMS places the holistic «One Health» approach, at the interface between humans, animals and the environment, at the heart of its considerations. To achieve this, it is necessary to address «Health in all Policies», which cannot be achieved without appropriate political structures. As a prerequisite for a Federal Health Act, the SAMS proposes the inclusion of an article on health in the Constitution.

Statement of the SAMS: For a Federal Health Act (23.05.2024) in German or in French

Media release (23.05.2024) in German, in French or in Italian

The report entitled «Analyse de la gouvernance du système de santé suisse et proposition d'une loi fédérale sur la santé» published by Unisanté in 2024 highlights the fact that the Swiss healthcare system is currently managed at federal level, primarily through the Swiss Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG/LAMal). Yet a healthcare policy should go far beyond this. The Unisanté report highlights a healthcare system that, while performing well, is ill-adapted to future challenges, with a fragmented vision of health, complex governance and tangled responsibilities.

Prof. Monod presents the findings of her report in a video available on the Unisanté Youtube channel. Watch the video (in French).

Published in 2026, the document entitled «Reorienting the Swiss Healthcare System: Ideas for Reflection Based on the Meikirch Model» (see PDF below in German) proposes courses of action and recommendations for the various stakeholders in the healthcare sector within the framework of the Meikirch model (more information in French or in German). In particular, it calls on the public and political parties to launch a popular initiative aimed at incorporating into the Swiss Constitution the article proposed by the SAMS in its 2024 position statement.

At its members’ conference held in June 2026, the Socialis Party SP60+ group adopted a resolution entitled «The Healthcare System Is a Public Service». Three of the four demands at the heart of this resolution are fully in line with the SAMS’ proposal to enshrine healthcare in the Constitution and place it more firmly at the center of society’s concerns.

The Citizens’ Assembly voted on a series of proposals to reform the Swiss healthcare system. The results of this vote were presented in 2025. The introduction of a Federal Health Act was among the six proposals accepted out of ten. This result provides insight into the reforms that a representative sample of the population — selected at random and informed — considers particularly urgent for strengthening health promotion and prevention, as well as for reducing healthcare costs in the long term.

The Citizens' Assembly's reform proposals (2025)

More information on the 2025 Citizens’ Assembly

The following institutions have expressed their support for a Federal Health Act via their website, newsletter or other official bodies.

Public Health Schweiz (in German or in French)

Selbsthilfe Schweiz (in German or in French)

swimsa – Swiss Medical Students' Association (PDF, 569 KB)

Think tank «Denknetz» (in German)

In the «Morgen:Rapport» podcast on 20 August 2024, Daniel Scheidegger, former President of the SAMS, talks about the idea of anchoring health in a constitutional article and drafting a Federal Health Act on this basis. Visit the «Morgen:Rapport» to listen to the podcast in German.

On 25 June 2025, the Smarter Health Care Network held a webinar asking: Can a Federal Health Act cure what has been plaguing our healthcare system for years? This one hour-long event is now available to watch online. It is in French, with slides in German. Watch the webinar on Youtube.

As part of its «Les Grands rendez-vous» series, Unisanté invited SAMS President Arnaud Perrier to Lausanne on 4 November 2025 to present the idea of a Federal Health Act. A video clip produced for the occasion explains briefly and clearly why the SAMS is convinced that Switzerland needs such a law and a constitutional article on health. Watch the video (in French).

On January 9, 2025, the SAMS accepted the Careum Foundation's invitation to debate the pros and cons of such an Act. The event, which took place in Zurich, brought together representatives from various healthcare stakeholders – politics, business, education, care, patients– to discuss the need for a paradigm shift and to explore possible approaches. Find out more about the arguments put forward by the audience in the report. More information on the event and further documents can be found on the Careum website.

In 2026, the Leenaards Foundation launched a new initiative entitled «Towards shared healthcare». On this occasion, it invited SAMS President Arnaud Perrier to speak on the topic: «Healthcare system or health system? Switzerland at a turning point.» Prof. Perrier highlighted the weaknesses of the Swiss system in comparison with other countries, explained why a Federal Health Act is necessary, and how the SAMS is committed to supporting this idea. Watch his speech (in French) on Vimeo.

Sustainable health system

Environment and health