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Italy Refuses Swiss Hospital Bills for Crans‑Montana Fire Victims

Resolution now hinges on Swiss insurance procedures plus potential bilateral talks.

Overview

  • Italy, after a Friday meeting in Valais, said it will not pay more than 100,000 CHF billed by Hôpital de Sion for Italian victims of the New Year’s fire.
  • The invoices included three bills of about 17,000 CHF and one of 66,810 CHF for treatment on January 1, according to Italy’s ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado.
  • Switzerland’s LAMal, which runs the health insurance system, said any bills sent to patients were informational and that its joint body will decide which insurer is responsible.
  • Valais leader Mathias Reynard urged routing the issue to the Swiss Federal Department of the Interior to seek a reciprocity-based fix, noting two Swiss patients were treated for months in Milan without a bill.
  • Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vowed to return any formal request unpaid, as context to a tragedy that left 41 dead and 115 injured at Crans‑Montana, including six Italians.