Swiss voters came out in favour of basic health insurance covering complementary medicine and for the inclusion of a computer chip carrying personal data in new passports in referendums today, according to Reuters. Alternative treatments like homeopathy, psychotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine will in future be offered alongside conventional treatments as part of regular health insurance after 67 percent of those voting backed their use. Such treatments were excluded from basic Swiss health provision in 2005. The vote to include biometric data like fingerprints on a chip in passports was less clear-cut, with 50.1 percent in favour, though the narrowly positive outcome will allow Switzerland to fulfil its data obligations under the Schengen agreement. Sunday's 'yes' vote is seen as further backing for the agreement, which allows freedom of movement between member states and came into force in Switzerland in 2008. A 'no' vote would have forced the government to ask the European Union for more time to fulfil the criteria and work on a compromise solution to be put to Swiss voters at a later date. Switzerland, made up of 26 cantons, has a long history of direct rule, with referendums taking place typically around three or four times a year at federal, cantonal and local level. They can be forced by citizens' or cantonal government petition and are also needed for changes to the constitution or to join cross-border organisations and communities.
