Healthcare costs will continue to rise next year, Health Minister Alain Berset has warned. Health insurers estimate that costs in 2024 will be higher than in the past, he added.
This year’s healthcare costs have already been higher than expected, Berset pointed out in an interview with Tamedia newspapers on Friday. Health insurers also lost CHF1.8 billion ($2 billion) on the financial markets last year, he added.
“It’s all going in the wrong direction,” said Berset, who will be leaving the government at the end of the year.
Health insurers have talked about an 8-9% rise in premiums for 2024.
He criticised the cantons and interest groups active in the healthcare sector for “helping each other to prevent cost-cutting reforms”. “Everyone is defending their share of the CHF45 billion cake,” he said. He also believes that the differences between cantonal subsidies aimed at reducing premiums are too great.
The government has only limited room for manoeuvre when it comes to healthcare, as it is a matter for the cantons to decide. The Covid pandemic has led to extraordinary costs, and insurers’ losses in 2022 have reduced reserves, he added.
As for Zurich Health Minister Natalie Rickli’s proposal to abolish compulsory health insurance, Berset is firmly opposed to it. “If we abolished it, we would have two-tier medicine,” he said.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
This content was published on
Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
This content was published on
St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
This content was published on
The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
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.