TIME August 17, 2012 Switzerland Has Its Own Kind of Obamacare and Loves It The country requires everyone to purchase private health insurance, a system that seems to work efficiently while keeping costs under control. Protestors argue about the Affordable Healthcare Act outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 28, 2012 in Washington, DC. By Helena Bachmann / Geneva For many Americans, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which makes health insurance mandatory, is a bitter pill to swallow. But after the Supreme Court upheld what is now popularly called 'Obamacare' on June 28, Switzerland's media greeted the decision as "a victory for common sense." Why should Americans listen to the Swiss? Because Switzerland's healthcare model successfully delivers much of what the U.S is trying to achieve: universal coverage through mandatory private insurance. Unlike most European countries, the Swiss don't have socialized medicine, though the government Page I 1 of 3 EFTA01122598