Health insurers suspect widespread Covid test fraud
PCR tests are still free in Switzerland for those presenting with Covid symptoms.
Keystone / Michael Buholzer
Swiss healthcare insurers estimate that some CHF20 million ($20.02 million) could have been gleaned to date by scams involving fake bills for Covid tests.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SRF/RTS/swissinfo.ch/dos
Português
pt
Planos de saúde denunciam fraude generalizada em testes Covid
Swiss public television RTS reportedExternal link Wednesday on numerous cases of people who noticed that their health insurance invoices included Covid tests that they had never done.
“We estimate that 1% of all Covid tests have not been correctly invoiced, that fraud has presumably taken place, and that certain tests were counted twice or three times, or didn’t take place at all,” Matthias Müller of Santésuisse – the umbrella group for Swiss health insurers – told SRF public television earlier this month.
More
More
Why we still can’t test for Covid-19 immunity
This content was published on
Public health experts are cautious about lifting Covid-19 restrictions. One key reason is that we still can’t test for our immunity to the virus.
The role of different actors in the fraud is not yet clear, RTS public television said on Wednesday. But one practice assumed to have been used is “factoring”, whereby a fraudster works in tandem with a testing centre and a certified doctor to send batches of fake bills to insurance providers, who then reimburse them.
The cost of Covid tests in Switzerland, while a bone of contention at some points during the pandemic, was largely taken over by public authorities, except in certain cases like asymptomatic people or those doing a test to travel abroad.
Investigating further
Various health insurers have been encouraging clients to flag any suspicious invoices. “These costs are a burden on the federal authorities and thus on taxpayers,” said the SWICA health insurer.
Officials at the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) are currently investigating the affair, and will decide soon whether or not to launch legal proceedings, RTS writes.
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, over 23 million tests – PCR and antigen – have been carried out in Switzerland, according to FOPH data.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss health official: hospitals can cope with current Covid surge
This content was published on
Rudolf Hauri says that while the autumn wave may not yet have peaked, he is not expecting the same difficulties as in past years.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.