Last December, a scandal broke out in the Bundestag building: the Council of States refused even a counter-proposal to the SP’s initiative to reduce premiums. The Benedikt Würth of St. Gallen justified this with the threat of additional costs for the cantons. Spicy about it: his middle party had helped with the counter-proposal in the National Council.
The political underhandedness of the professional representatives was seen as an insult to party chairman Gerhard Pfister. In the Watson interview, de Zuger pointed out that a majority of Central State Council members had supported the counter-proposal. Nevertheless, an unfavorable view of the party’s solution-oriented image remained.
Tuesday was a turnaround. In the second attempt, the Council of States not only voted in favor of the counter-proposal. He approved it by a vote of 26 to 16 with one abstention. Only two of the middle 14 reps still wanted nothing to do with it. The change of heart did not come as a complete surprise. On the contrary, he had identified himself.
As spokesperson for the Commission for Social Security and Health (SGK), Erich Ettlin, the middle member of the Council of States of Obwalden, warned that without a counter-proposal, the chances of the SP’s citizens’ initiative being adopted would increase. It states that insured persons must spend a maximum of ten percent of their disposable income on health care premiums.
This goal is to be achieved with additional premium reductions. The federal government would have to take over at least two-thirds, but the cantons would also have to pay. Of these, some have cut back on discounts in recent years. In some cases, the original objective that the federal government and the cantons should each contribute half is clearly missed.
The deal has not yet been completed. It now goes back to the National Council. Ultimately, there must be a compromise between the two chambers. However, Parliament must not be stingy. Because then the SP would probably put its initiative to the vote. And, as Erich Ettlin found out, she had a good chance.
Because health care premiums have recently risen sharply again after a period of calm. And there is no improvement in sight for 2024, on the contrary. The Bundesamt für Volksgezondheid (BAG) expects a renewed increase in premiums, it was said at a media conference last week. At the same time, cash register reserves have shrunk.
The real problem remains the explosion of healthcare costs. “The premiums follow the costs. Rising costs will also lead to rising premiums,” said Thomas Christen, deputy director of BAG. However, to date, politicians have not found an effective recipe against this “disease”, also because of the powerful players.
The center party is trying its cost containment initiative. Parliament is also working on an indirect counter-proposal. On Wednesday it was the turn of the National Council. The councils already agree on cost and quality targets. In itself a sensible idea, but there are no specifications about what should happen if the goals are not met.
The Federal Council had planned concrete measures in its draft, but the National Council had already canceled them during the first consultation last summer. Again, lobbying pressure from doctors, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals had an effect. They consistently fight anything that could reduce their income.
If politicians want to save on one actor, they can count on the tacit solidarity of others. Health Minister Alain Berset speaks of a “silent cartel”. Since nothing works on the cost side, the only “prescription” against the rising premiums is symptom relief through extra discounts.
Economic liberals are angry about this. “The fewer citizens feel the consequences in their own wallets, the less pressure there is to save,” according to the NZZ. That is why health insurance premiums “should also hurt”. However, the newspaper immediately admitted that they are probably hurting one segment: the lower middle class.
It is often families with children who already have to contend with rising costs. This has consequences for electricity prices, for example, and now in many cases also for rents, due to the increase in the reference interest rate. At the same time, they look into the tube when it comes to premium discounts. It borders on sadism that they should feel the “pain”.
A counter-proposal to the SP bonus initiative is therefore unavoidable. Because the additional costs for the cantons are also accompanied by hope. If the cantons were held responsible, “they would also have a greater interest in stabilizing and curbing cost developments,” said Bernese SP state councilor Hans Stöckli.
In other words, if they need to spend more money on discounts, they may be motivated to start with healthcare costs where they have room. This applies, for example, to the approval of doctors or hospitals. However, hospital closures are a hot potato for cantonal health directors.
The demands of the population on the Swiss healthcare system are high and are often reinforced by rising premiums. True to the motto: if we pay more and more, we also want the corresponding services. It’s almost a vicious circle. This is one of the reasons why, in the end, there is hardly any alternative to price reductions.
source: watson
I’m Maxine Reitz, a journalist and news writer at 24 Instant News. I specialize in health-related topics and have written hundreds of articles on the subject. My work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Healthline. As an experienced professional in the industry, I have consistently demonstrated an ability to develop compelling stories that engage readers.
