Tariffs are negotiated in practice based on data that is usually two years old. However, inflation between the data year and the tariff year is often taken into account for a maximum of one year - or not at all - in the tariffs. As a result, the resulting tariffs are systematically too low to reflect the actual price level. The outcome of this KVG-inconsistent systemic error is a permanent inflation-induced financing gap and underfunding of hospitals and clinics, even those that operate efficiently.
Transformation and Personnel Under Pressure
Without fair tariffs adjusted to inflation, the ability to invest in outpatient care, new care models, and digitisation is lacking. At the same time, the failure to grant full compensation for inflation impacts employees, as many facilities have little room to properly pass on inflation in wage rounds.
Independent analyses also point to the imbalance: Between 2020 and 2024, inflation rose by 6.8%, while tariffs increased only by 2.6% (PwC study, November 2025). With the stance of the SGK-S and the BAG, the underfunding of around 25 percent in outpatient care and around 10 percent in inpatient care cannot be resolved. This condemns hospitals and clinics to remain in the status quo instead of developing care further in favour of patients. Because transformation requires investments, which can hardly be financed by too low tariffs.
Press contact: Anne-Geneviève Bütikofer, Director Tel.: 031 335 11 63 E-Mail: medien@hplus.ch