Maximal 160 000 Franken Lohn und keine Luxuskarossen: Natalie Rickli nimmt private Spitex-Firmen ins Visier

Zürcher Gesundheitsdirektorin Natalie Rickli aims to curb soaring costs in home care by targeting private, high-end care firms. Critics label her plans as populist; however, these changes could have significant implications for the market of care services. In 2019, the Federal Court ruled that health insurance companies and municipalities must reimburse care provided by family members.

Under this new arrangement, relatives who help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating receive between 30 and 38 francs per hour, provided they are registered with a licensed Spitex organization. As private care firms found this business model lucrative, they have caused fiscal strain on municipalities. To address this issue, Zürich's health director, Natalie Rickli, has introduced proposals to limit the financial burden of home care.

She has proposed that companies should not be able to count employee salaries, car costs over 30,000 francs, or marketing expenses exceeding 1% of their turnover in their cost calculations. Additionally, she wants to set a maximum hourly wage of 32 francs for caregivers. However, these proposals have received criticism from private Spitex organizations, who say that a wage ceiling is generally a mistake and that the proposed limit is too low.

Furthermore, they argue that the proposed limits on vehicle purchases and marketing expenses are unrealistic given the current Zürich job market. Critics also point out that these limits would disproportionately affect private Spitex organizations, as public organizations have more stable patient flows to draw from. The Zürich health department acknowledges the concerns but maintains that the aim of the revised regulation is to prevent municipalities and taxpayers from bearing excessive costs associated with home care.