Why on earth should Assisted Dying in the UK cost £15,000 per case whilst the most expensive provider in Switzerland, Dignitas, charges only £10,300 ?
Over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd June 2025 the British newspapers and TV channels were full of reports that the forthcoming Assisted Dying law in England and Wales was expected to cost £15,000 per case. The internal Parliamentary report upon which this figure was based also forecast that “the implementation of assisted dying could cost the health service almost £425 million in the first ten years”
The fees charged by the top three assisted dying providers in Switzerland are: Dignitas £10,300, Pegasos £9,830 and Athanasios £8,650. These figures, of course, exclude travel and accommodation costs. But, unlike the £15,000 estimated for the UK, they do include cremation, funeral, registration of death and the transportation of ashes.
The reason for the extra costs in the UK are not hard to find. During the course of the Bill’s passage through Parliament, the Bill has been amended to include so many “safeguards” against coercion that the procedures have become vastly more expensive than the medical costs themselves. This has not been the experience of other countries where assisted dying has been legalised. It seems to be a peculiarly British way of gold-plating the arrangements.
