From payments to interventions: A decade of Swiss disability reforms

In the past decade, the Swiss disability benefit system has undergone a series of far-reaching reforms with a strong focus on mental health in order to tackle a steep and steady rise of beneficiaries with mental disorders. This chapter gives an overview of the nature of these reforms, such as the introduction of medical services within the disability insurance which can overrule the assessments of treating physicians and the new focus on early intervention and vocational reintegration of disability beneficiaries, and a preliminary assessment of their impact to date. Beyond the reforms, changes in the legislation and an intense public debate seem to have supported the awareness of all actors leading to a significant decline in new claimants into disability benefits. However, important challenges remain.