[ad_1]
- Health insurance premiums will increase by an average of 0.5 percent next year.
- The increase is low compared to recent years.
- In seven cantons, health insurance premiums will be even cheaper in 2021.
- The + 2.1 percent increase is highest in Ticino, which was hit hard by the crown crisis.
As for health insurance premiums, there will be no impact on premiums for next year. While premiums increased by nearly four percent each on a long-term average, the increase for 2021 is only half a percent.
The bottom line is that the load remains the same.
The bottom line is that the burden will remain the same, Federal Councilor Alain Berset announced at a press conference. Therefore, the average premium in 2021 will be 316.50 Swiss francs.
There are big differences according to the canton. While health insurance premiums in Ticino increase by 2.1 percent, they decrease by 1.6 percent in Appenzell Innerrhoden. In seven cantons the premiums will be cheaper and in two cantons they will not change.
Health economist Stefan Felder from the University of Basel expected only a small increase in health insurance premiums due to the corona pandemic. The main reason: at the beginning of the pandemic, the Federal Council prohibited all operations and medical treatments that were not mandatory. And even after non-mandatory interventions were allowed again, fewer people went to the doctor or hospital, fearing a corona infection.
The effects of Corona
According to the BAG, premiums will be calculated to cover estimated costs in 2021. However, it has not yet been possible to determine the effects of the corona pandemic on costs in the current year. There are many uncertainties and it is still too early to estimate. If health costs turned out to be higher or lower than estimated when premiums were set, the amount of the health insurance companies’ reserves would change accordingly.
Health insurance premiums are placing an increasing burden on households. Due to demographic developments and medical-technical progress, costs in the health care system will continue to rise in the future, Federal Councilor Alain Berset said at the news conference.
The Federal Council’s goal is for costs to increase only to a medically justifiable degree, for example, due to new drugs, for example, for cancer therapy. On the other hand, increased costs due to duplication or unnecessary operations should be avoided.
Last year, the Federal Council adopted a first package with nine measures to curb healthcare costs. This is currently being debated in Parliament. Last August, the Federal Council sent for consultation a second package of measures, the savings potential of which is estimated at 1 billion Swiss francs.
