Cantons partially finance public acute-care hospitals, with the remainder financed by contributions from insurers.
Private hospitals also receive public subsidies if the cantonal governments have need of their services to
guarantee a sufficient supply of acute-care services within that canton. Outpatient care, nursing homes, homes
for disabled and chronically ill persons, and public health programs are also directly subsidized (but much less
extensively than acute-care hospitals) by the cantonal and communal governments.