Health insurance premiums in Switzerland could rise by as much as 9 percent in the autumn, according to a warning issued by the Swiss newspaper Le Matin Dimanche.
According to the figures released by Le Matin, the cost of health insurance in Switzerland has been on the rise since the second half of 2021 and could rise by 7 to 9 percent by autumn 2022. This has been the case for the cost of many other products in Switzerland too, as the COVID-19 pandemic and conflict in Ukraine have pushed inflation to new highs in Europe.
The prediction is based on the calculated average cost of basic health insurance in Switzerland, which has seen a 5,1 percent rise in the last year alone. As the price of basic cover increases, it can be assumed that the cost of supplemental insurance packages will also rise.
Many of the interviewees quizzed by the newspaper find the predictions to be accurate. "It is always difficult to articulate numbers so early in the year, but a significant increase this autumn is, unfortunately, conceivable," said National Councillor Benjamin Roduit.
Roduit is not alone in predicting price rises. "A sudden increase is unfortunately plausible," added his colleague Pierre-Yves Maillard. Maillard also went on to stress that it is not too late, since "we have two parliamentary sessions to act" in order to protect citizens and residents from cost increases.
The Swiss health insurance umbrella organisation santésuisse did not comment on the estimated rise of 7 to 9 percent, but the body has expressed concerns about rising health insurance premiums in the years to come. santésuisse said that it is "very concerned about the sharp increase in premiums in 2023", while curafutura, another umbrella organisation in the same industry, has stressed that there will be relatively large increases in premiums coming soon.