More and more people in Switzerland avoid medical care due to money worries

With health insurance premiums due to rise by an average of 4,4 percent next year, a new study has shown the concerning impact this has on people’s willingness to seek medical care. More and more people in Geneva are avoiding doctor and dentist visits due to financial concerns. 

People less willing to seek medical care as insurance premiums rise

The study, put together by Geneva University Hospital (HUG) and based on data from Geneva, has found that, as the cost of health insurance in Switzerland rises, people’s willingness to seek medical and dental care reduces. 

The data led the research team to conclude that, for every 10-franc premium increase, 2,1 percent more people choose not to visit their doctor or dentist due to concerns about what it might cost, as Watson reports.

One in four in Geneva report foregoing medical treatment in last year

The headline finding was that one in four people in Geneva now report having foregone medical or dental treatment in the last 12 months for financial reasons. Back in 2011, the figure was one in seven. 

According to Mayssam Nehme, co-author of the study and a senior physician at HUG, if this trend continues, by 2030 it could see one in two people avoid going to the doctor because of worries about the cost. “And that’s concerning in Switzerland,” she told Watson. While the survey only relates to residents of Geneva, Nehme said she was certain that the results would be similar elsewhere in Switzerland. 

“When people forego medical care for financial reasons, it’s never a good sign,” she went on, explaining that people who skip necessary visits to the doctor actually go on to cost the healthcare system more, as their medical issue develops into something more serious, for instance, that might require treatment in hospital. 

Middle and higher income groups in Switzerland also affected

While it used to be primarily people from lower income groups who forewent treatment, Nehme said that the problem is now increasingly spreading to middle and higher income groups. In 2011, only 4 percent of this group reported avoiding medical care for financial reasons; that number has now increased to 14 percent. 

Nehme explained that rising premiums tend to encourage people - young, healthy people in particular - to increase their deductible to save on their monthly costs. But when they have a medical problem and realise they would have to pay up to 2.500 francs upfront before they get help from their insurance company, many would prefer to skip going to the doctor or dentist. 

A recent survey found that the majority of people in Switzerland believe that their monthly health insurance costs are becoming increasingly unaffordable. A 2024 moneyland.ch study found that the cost of basic health insurance had risen by almost 40 percent in the last 10 years.