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- Many households in Switzerland are concerned about high health insurance premiums. The SP wants to combat the problem with the so-called premium aid initiative.
- The goal of the initiative: No one should have to spend more than 10 percent of their income on health insurance premiums.
- The Federal Council rejects the initiative, but wants to hold the cantons responsible with an indirect counterproposal. They should pay up to 800 million Swiss francs more a year for premium reductions.
Health insurance premiums are a huge burden on many households. Health Minister Alain Berset told the Bern media that they agreed on this point. But he immediately mentioned the delicate point of his own party’s initiative. “Because it only focuses on how the premium reduction is financed. And it does nothing to curb the rising costs of health care. “
But that’s exactly what the indirect counterproposal provides, according to Berset, by making the cantons more accountable. Cantons with higher health care costs and higher premium loads for households must contribute more money in the future to lower premiums. By contrast, cantons with low healthcare costs would have to pay less.
The Health Commission supports the Federal Council
This creates incentives to reduce healthcare costs, according to Berset. Ruth Humbel, National Councilor of the CVP of Aargau and President of the Health Commission of the National Council, believes that the idea of the Federal Council is correct: “In recent years, the federal government has been paying more and more for reducing prima, while most of the cantons have relieved themselves. “
Ruth Humbel (right) is the National Councilor of the CVP and President of the Health Commission of the National Council.
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Cantons have a great influence on health costs in their canton. “Consequently, it is also correct that they participate more in the reduction of premiums.” The fact is that last year almost a third of all those insured by health insurance, about two million people, received such premium reductions. Cantons contributed 43 percent of the costs. Ten years ago it was 50 percent.
The fact that cantons are saving more and more here has long been a thorn in the side of Humbel. He had already submitted a proposal years ago demanding that the federal contribution be dependent on the cantonal contribution. This means that the cantons that pay fewer premium reductions also receive less money from the federal government. Humbel says he cannot yet judge whether the Federal Council idea has a majority in parliament.
According to the SP, the counterproposal “does not work”
The proposal is unlikely to receive support from the left. The SP health policy and National Councilor Yvonne Feri says: “I am glad that the Federal Council sees the need for action. But from my perspective, it doesn’t take into account the burden on individual and family budgets. Therefore, from my point of view, the counterproposal, as it stands now, is not useful. ”Therefore, it is clear that the SP is sticking to the initiative.
Fulfilling the initiative: The health policy of Aargau SP and National Councilor Yvonne Feri.
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