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HEALTH INSURANCE

How much will your Swiss health insurance premiums increase by in 2025?

The cost of Switzerland’s obligatory health insurance is a source of constant worry for the country’s residents, as the rates have been increasing significantly for the past few years. What can you expect to happen in 2025?

Published: 10 September 2024 12:23 CEST
How much will your Swiss health insurance premiums increase by in 2025?
Outpatient procedures are among the reasons health costs, and insurance premiums, soar in Switzerland. Photo: Pixabay

At the end of September, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) will announce the cost of health insurance for next year.

However, consumer platform Bonus.ch has already crunched the numbers and published its findings on September 10th.

Unfortunately, the news is not good for Switzerland’s consumers.

After an average increase in health insurance premiums of 6.6 percent in 2023 and 7.8 percent in 2024, the hike is likely to be between 7 and 12 percent, the site reports.

The reason for this continuing upward trend is that health insurance premiums are determined by the cost of healthcare in general — which have been soaring in recent years.

“This estimate of a further sharp increase in health premiums for 2025 is explained by the fact that healthcare costs will continue to rise for the remainder of 2024,” Bonus explained. “After a fairly stable first quarter, the second quarter tipped the scales into the red with an increase of 7.5 percent across Switzerland.”

Over the first six months of the year, therefore, “healthcare costs went up by 5.1 percent, representing an increase of more than 1 billion francs compared to 2023.”

Why have healthcare costs been skyrocketing in recent years?

Covid pandemic is not the only cause of the sharp increase, though it certainly played its part.

There is a variety of other reasons as well, including better (and costlier) technology, the increase in medical consultations, outpatient hospital services, as well as the rising prices of medications.

READ ALSO: The medications that are more expensive in Switzerland from July

What about insurance premiums in your canton?

The averages cited by Bonus are national, but they could well be higher (or, if you are lucky, lower) in your place of residence.

That’s because the federal government regulates financing of the health system, ensures the quality of care, as well as safety of drugs and medical devices, and promotes research and training.

It also supervises dozens of private carriers to ensure that they comply with the federal health insurance law, which prohibits discrimination based on age or health status, withholding necessary treatments, and other provisions guaranteeing that every policyholder gets the same quality of care.

FOPH is also responsible for approving premiums.

Cantons, on the other hand, are responsible for designing health care policies on their territories, licensing medical providers, coordinating hospital services, and — yes — setting healthcare premiums.

That is why while premiums will go up throughout Switzerland, residents of some cantons will have to pay more for healthcare than their counterparts in others.

Based on the figures for the first half of 2024, residents of Jura, Vaud, Glarus, Neuchâtel, Ticino, and Zurich will pay premiums that exceed the national average, according to Bonus’ calculations.

READ ALSO: Why do Swiss healthcare premiums vary so much per canton? 

How reliable are these figures?

Bonus based its numbers on the database of SASIS, a platform for medical statistics Switzerland.

Usually, this particular platform is fairly accurate.

However, a somewhat better outlook for next year’s premiums comes from Verena Nold, director of SantéSuisse, an umbrella group for Swiss health insurance providers.

In a recent interview with Swiss media, she said that an increase of 5 percent is more realistic.

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REFERENDUMS IN SWITZERLAND

From Zurich to Basel: What’s at stake in Switzerland’s cantonal referendums?

On September 22nd, Swiss voters will weigh in on a variety of issues of national importance. But in some cantons, local matters are on the ballot as well. Here's a rundown.

Published: 16 September 2024 15:25 CEST
From Zurich to Basel: What's at stake in Switzerland's cantonal referendums?

In the third round of four referendums scheduled for 2024 (the last one will be held on November 24th), Swiss citizens will vote on September 22nd on two issues of national importance — the second-pillar pension reform and the ‘biodiversity initiative,” both of which are explained here:

READ ALSO: What’s at stake in Switzerland’s federal referendums on September 22nd? 

In addition to these two national issues, some cantons will hold their own referendums as well.

Let’s start with Zurich

Foreigners who have been temporarily admitted to Switzerland are people whose asylum application has been rejected.

However, they can’t be deported because, for instance, there is a war in their country of origin.

In the canton of Zurich, according to current law, they can only receive training grants once they have lived in Switzerland for five years.

On Sunday, voters will have to decide on whether cantonal authorities should to do away with this waiting period.

Geneva: Teacher training

Currently, primary school teacher training in Geneva is the only one that lasts four years, compared to three years in the other cantons.

This situation has caused an ‘exodus’ of sorts: the number of Geneva teachers trained in the neighbouring canton of Vaud has increased sevenfold in 10 years; in fact, 40 percent of teachers hired for Geneva schools received their diploma in Vaud. 

Voters will have to weigh in on whether Geneva should align the duration of its training with other cantons.

Lucerne: Taxes

The revision of the tax law is intended to maintain the canton’s fiscal attractiveness.

Lucerne is continuing its previous financial and tax policy to position itself favourably vis-à-vis other cantons.

The focus of the tax law revision is a series of measures from which all taxpayers — individuals, families, and businesses — will benefit equally, for instance, by implementing new social and higher child deductions.

This move is aimed at relieving the burden on low-income residents. 

The goal of this reform, on which the people will vote, is to prevent companies from moving out of the canton of Lucerne, while attracting new ones to move in.

Fribourg: Supplementary benefits

Fribourg voters are called upon to decide on the bill concerning supplementary benefits for families.

This law aims to support low-income households by offering a series of benefits to promote financial, social, and professional independence..

If accepted, the new policy will complement the system already in place, by supporting the approximately 1,500 families particularly affected by poverty in the canton.

Bern / Jura: Terms of the transfer of Moutier

On March 28th, 2021, the voters of the Bern town of Moutier voted in favour of their municipality switching to the canton of Jura.

The cantons of Bern and Jura regulate this change in an agreement called  ‘concordat.’

On September 22nd, the voters of the two cantons will decide on this concordat, setting out the terms for the change in Moutier’s cantonal affiliation.

Basel-Country: Health Act

Citizens will vote on a partial revision of the Health Act, which concerns the authorisation of service providers to work at the expense of compulsory health insurance (KVC/LaMal) — specifically concerning outpatients.

The outpatient authorisation control for doctors is a mandate based on a federal law.

For the corresponding measure in Basel-Country from July 1st, 2025, it is necessary to create a legal basis, hence the vote.

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