A step backward for women's medicine? Sign the Breast. Forward. petition now!
Since January 1, 2026, women in Switzerland have been facing a medical step backward: a change in the tariff system makes the gentle vacuum biopsy for breast cancer evaluation economically unattractive.
What happened?
Under the new tariff system, the minimally invasive vacuum biopsy is no longer reimbursed at a level that covers costs in many places. For practices and hospitals, the procedure is therefore no longer financially viable, even though it is medically well established.
The consequence: suspicious breast findings could once again be evaluated surgically more often, meaning with a scalpel instead of a needle.
Why is this a problem?
For many of those affected, the vacuum biopsy is the gentler path: outpatient, under local anesthesia, usually without a visible scar and without an inpatient stay.
If open procedures become necessary more often instead, the burden increases, physically, emotionally, and logistically.
What does this mean in concrete terms for women?
A possible shift back to surgical procedures can mean:
- general anesthesia
- surgery
- a hospital stay
- a longer recovery time
- a permanent scar
- even with a benign finding
Did you know?
The vacuum biopsy is not only gentler, but often also more precise and more cost-effective than open surgery. When this procedure is pushed aside for economic reasons, that is not progress, it is a step backward.
Who is pushing back?
The Breast Forward campaign was launched by Dr. Nadja Mamisch. Together with experts, patient organizations, and supporters, she is calling for a data-based recalculation of the tariffs, in open dialogue with health insurers and authorities.
The petition has by now gathered around 23,041 signatures and runs until the end of April 2026.
What can you do?
Signing takes less than a minute. But it can help decide whether women in Switzerland continue to have access to gentle breast diagnostics.
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