Paul Rechsteiner (left) and Doris Bianchi, two senior union officials during a news conference last October
Keystone
The Trade Union Federation has called for higher government subsidies to help pay the mandatory health insurance premiums of lower and middle income earners.
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The federation’s chief economist, Daniel Lampart, says premiums have nearly doubled in the past two decades and account for up to 14% of the monthly income of Swiss households.
Insurance premiums should not exceed 10% of income, he said.
At a traditional New Year’s press conference on Monday, Federation President Paul Rechsteiner warned that the gap between the rich and the less well-off has widened because salaries have only increased slightly and several cantons have stopped granting subsidies for health insurance premiums over the past few years.
However, a senior official of the Employers Association has dismissed the findings.
Over the past ten years voters overwhelmingly rejected two proposals to introduce income-related health insurance premiums.
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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.