Procedure

The Citizens’ Assembly met over three weekends in Zurich, Neuchâtel, and Bern, as well as in four online sessions. In the first phase, the 100 participants informed themselves about the topic of “rising healthcare costs” and determined which focus area they wanted to work on. In the second phase, they exchanged their views with one another and discussed with politicians. In the final phase, they compiled their insights and proposals into a concluding report for the public and policymakers.

Before the Citizens’ Assembly began, participants did not need to prepare anything; what was primarily required was their everyday knowledge and personal experiences with the healthcare system. In addition to guidance from experts, the project team, in cooperation with the association Carbon Copy, introduced the learning app “@gora,” which participants could use voluntarily. The app provided information about the healthcare system and the five key areas, supporting preparation and follow-up of the meetings.

The central element of the open-ended Citizens’ Assembly was the deliberation process: participants listened to different perspectives, carefully weighed viewpoints, jointly developed solution approaches, and in the end, took a collective position.

At the core were professionally moderated discussions, with great emphasis placed on creating a pleasant and respectful atmosphere. All participants were given the opportunity to speak equally. The events were prepared and facilitated by Interface Politikstudien Forschung und Beratung AG. The organization and moderation of the Citizens’ Assembly were politically and substantively neutral.

At the starting weekend in Zurich, the 100 participants got to know each other and received an overview of the procedure of the Citizens’ Assembly. They informed themselves and gained a better understanding of the topic of “rising healthcare costs.” Since health policy is a broad and complex issue, the participants chose “health promotion & prevention” as a focus for the subsequent discussions.
 

In the subsequent online meetings, the participants explored the topic in regional groups. They asked themselves questions such as: Which aspects do we need to consider regarding healthcare costs? Which reform proposals already exist, and what pro and con arguments are being discussed? Experts supported the groups in closing any knowledge gaps.

At the discussion weekend in Neuchâtel, the five regional groups came together again and brought the aspects they had examined in depth, along with the related arguments, into the plenary. First, the Citizens’ Assembly developed a shared understanding of the identified challenges, the reform proposals under consideration, and the various arguments surrounding rising healthcare costs. An information sheet with an argumentarium, prepared by experts, provided the substantive basis.

At the second weekend, the reform proposals were to be discussed controversially. On Saturday afternoon, actors from politics and the healthcare sector entered into dialogue with the Citizens’ Assembly. In addition, the Citizens’ Assembly further developed the concrete reform proposals.

At the final online meeting, the discussions from the second weekend were refined and the participants worked on the final product – the concluding report. At the closing weekend in Bern, the Citizens’ Assembly took a position on the various reform proposals and adopted the final report  summarizing the outcomes of the discussions.

The concluding report was presented on 20 May 2025 at the closing ceremony of the Citizens’ Assembly to Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, and a political panel discussed the reform proposals and placed them in the political context.

The Citizens’ Assembly aimed to jointly deliberate on key societal debates and to develop a well-founded snapshot of public opinion from the heart of the population. The results of the Citizens’ Assembly pursue three central objectives:

1. A clear signal to politics: They indicate which proposals an informed cross-section of the population supports after careful consideration. The outcome is a robust and well-reasoned snapshot of opinion – a contribution to an informed public debate.
2. An invitation to form one’s own opinion: The report is also intended to give people outside the Assembly the opportunity to engage with the topic in an accessible way, to learn about different approaches to solutions, and to form their own view. To this end, the Citizens’ Assembly has presented relevant knowledge in an understandable form, developed concrete reform proposals, and set out arguments for and against them – contributing to the strengthening of direct democracy.
3. A stimulus for public debate: The results are not meant to be final, but rather an invitation to continue thinking. Who can build on them in their own context? How can the Citizens’ Assembly’s proposals be used to further advance the topic of health promotion and prevention at the municipal, cantonal, and national levels?

On the final report (PDF, 6 MB) and the detailed results of the Citizens’ Assembly

Detailed information on the procedure and implementation of the 2025 Citizens’ Assembly can be found in the document “Concept & Program.” (PDF, 196 KB)