Foreign winter sports fans who get injured on the slopes are increasingly not paying their medical bills, and hospitals are turning to debt collection agencies.
Any rescue or treatment can easily become very expensive.
The law says anyone who needs medical treatment should get it first before having to pay or show proof of insurance.
Those fleeing bills is costing one hospital in Graubünden up to half a million francs a year and the FMI Group which runs hospitals in canton Bern say 4% of all bills sent outside the country are not paid.
Debt collection agencies can prove effective for those living in western Europe – but people from the Middle East and Eastern Europe, it’s practically impossible to get money back, according to the Tages Anzeiger Newspaper.
The same is true for the helicopter rescue services.
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