The average premium for obligatory health insurance will rise by 6.5 per cent next year, with young people paying an average 11.8 per cent more, it has been announced.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The Swiss Federal Health Office said on Friday that those between 19 and 25 years old would have to pay on average SFr328 ($335) a year more for basic coverage.
The Health Office added that between 1996 and 2011, the average annual rise had been 5.3 per cent. This meant that basic health insurance premiums had risen over this period by 93 per cent with inflation taken into account.
Interior Minister Didier Burkhalter told a news conference in Bern that the government would be introducing revised legislation to keep a closer eye on health insurers in Switzerland, in particular concerning their reserves for unexpected events, for example a pandemic.
The new legislation is expected to come into force on July 1 next year.
Health insurers are obliged to announce their premiums for 2011 by the end of October, giving a month for those insured to consider changing to another insurance company offering cheaper premiums.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Calls for organ donation to shift to young
This content was published on
But not everyone agrees with Franz Immer, head of national organ association Swisstransplant. Critics are worried about unethical selection and discrimination. In a working paper for health experts and politicians published last week, Immer said that since demand for organs still outstrips supply in Switzerland – as it does around the world – giving a…
This content was published on
According to the Santésuisse health insurance association, 150,000 people have already been suspended due to non-payment of premiums and are only eligible for emergency treatment. Some 400,000 are additionally facing claims by their insurance companies and risk losing their insurance coverage. A patient with suspected cancer cannot be admitted to hospital for tests; an operation…
This content was published on
Products such as bogus Viagra remain the most popular, but there has also been a peak in the orders of slimming products, some of which are dangerous. The Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) said on Wednesday that in the first six months of the year it received reports of 992 suspicious, potentially illegal imports…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.