Swiss comparison portal Comparis has predicted a 6 percent increase in health insurance premiums across the country in 2024. Data analysed by Comparis showed that some health insurance providers are planning to increase premiums by up to 10 percent.
Reduction in reserves blamed for higher insurance premiums
According to Comparis, the key reason for the increase in health insurance premiums is the forced reduction of cash reserves held by insurance providers in Switzerland. "Without the politically enforced reduction in reserves, the premiums would have only increased by around 2,5 percent per year per person in recent years", health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly was quoted as saying in Comparis’s report.
Health insurance premiums already rose by around 6,6 percent in the previous year, and rising costs in the years 2021 to 2023 could be partially put down to disruption in the Swiss healthcare system and the economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to SRF, the pandemic induced a higher level of bureaucracy and a greater need for psychotherapy which added to the cost burden of the Swiss health sector.
Insurance expert predicts long-term slowdown of insurance price hikes
Despite the significant jump in the price of insurance premiums in the past few years, Felix Schneuwly is optimistic about the future. As inflation in Switzerland begins to cool after the sharpest jumps seen during COVID-19 and the start of the Ukraine crisis, the rises seen in health insurance premiums should slow down too.
Last week, the Federal Office for Public Health also revealed data on the price of healthcare in Switzerland. Their data, collected by the Swiss government, found that in the first quarter of 2023, healthcare costs have already risen by more than 3,4 percent. "Increasing costs will also lead to increasing premiums", vice director of the Federal Office of Public Health Thomas Christen told SRF.
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