Procedure

The Citizens' Assembly meets over three weekends in Zurich, Neuchâtel and Bern, as well as at four online meetings. In the first phase, the 100 participants educate themselves on the topic of “rising health care costs” and determine which focus they want to work on. In the second phase, they exchange their opinions with each other and discuss with politicians. At the end, they prepare the findings and proposals in a final report for the public and politicians.

The Citizens' Assembly does not require participants to prepare for it in advance. Instead, it draws on their everyday knowledge and personal experiences with the healthcare system. The deliberation process is the central element of the open-ended Citizens' Assembly: the participants listen to different perspectives, carefully weigh up points of view, jointly develop solutions and, at the end, take a position together.

The focus is on professionally moderated discussions. Great importance is attached to a pleasant and respectful atmosphere. All participants should have an equal say. The events are prepared and moderated by Interface Politikstudien Forschung und Beratung AG. The organization and moderation of the Citizens' Assembly are politically and factually neutral.

During the kick-off weekend in Zurich, the 100 participants get to know each other and are given an overview of the Citizens' Assembly process. They learn about the topic and gain a better understanding of the issue of rising healthcare costs. Since healthcare policy is a broad and complex topic, the participants define a key aspect on which further discussions will focus.

In the subsequent online meetings, the participants delve deeper into the topic in regional groups. They ask themselves questions such as: What aspects of health care costs do we need to consider? What reform proposals already exist, and what are the pros and cons? Experts support the groups in closing any knowledge gaps.

The five regional groups will come together again at the discussion weekend in Neuchâtel and will present the aspects they have explored in greater depth and the associated arguments to the plenary assembly. First, the Citizens' Assembly will develop a common understanding of the challenges identified, the reform proposals reviewed and the various arguments surrounding rising health care costs. In the next step, the participants will discuss these aspects with politicians  in order to shed light on different perspectives and approaches.

In the last online meeting, the discussions from the second weekend are refined and the participants work on the final product – the final report. At the final weekend in Bern, the Citizens' Assembly positions itself on the various reform proposals and adopts the report, which summarizes the results of the discussions.

The final report is made available to the public and politicians and includes:

1. Important factual knowledge on the topic from the Citizens' Assembly's point of view
2. A common understanding of the problem and guiding principles
3. Assessment of the various reform proposals, with arguments for and against
4. The Citizens' Assembly's position on the individual reform proposals

The final report provides decision-makers with an informed view of the Citizens' Assembly and makes an important contribution to the public debate. In addition, scientific surveys are used to examine the perception of the final report and its influence on the formation of public opinion.