class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>
In two weeks the bonus hammer will strike again. Then Minister of Health Alain Berset (51) will announce how much health insurance premiums will increase for 2024. Experts expect an increase of six to nine percent. If it comes to that, someone will have to transfer an average of 4,800 francs per year to the health insurer.
The middle class in particular will feel the increase, because they generally do not receive a premium discount. But even those who are entitled to it increasingly find themselves in economic distress. Because premiums have been rising for decades – and premium reductions have not kept pace.
Initiative versus counter-proposal
The Social Democrats’ recipe to combat misery is called the premium aid initiative. The referendum stipulates that no one has to spend more than 10 percent of their income on premiums. The rest would be subsidized through premium reductions. The initiative is expected to be voted on in 2024.
If accepted, the federal government will have to spend nearly $3.7 billion more on premium cuts. And the cantons would also be more challenged. They would have to contribute another 800 million.
But the project is encountering resistance in Bern. Both the Federal Council and Parliament reject the initiative and point to the high costs. However, they were able to agree on a counter-proposal. It stipulates that the cantons will have to increase their budget by a total of approximately 356 million francs. The federal contributions remain the same.
The cantons withheld 234 million
Last year, 21 cantons did not use their budget for premium reductions. So 234 million remained in the cantonal treasury.
What is the situation in the individual cantons? Blick shows where premium cuts could increase and how much if the initiative or counter-proposal were voted ‘yes’ – and how much money each canton has withheld in 2022.
Argau
- In 2020, the canton of Aargau paid a total of 116.4 million francs in premium discounts.
- If the SP initiative had already been in force, it would have been 61 million francs more.
- If the counterproposal had been in force, Aargau would have had to pay only 26.8 million francs more.
- In 2022, Aargau used 94 percent of its budget for premium reductions. 142.2 million francs was earmarked, but 134 million francs was actually paid out.
Appenzell Ausserrhoden
- Premium discounts 2020: 11.5 million francs
- SP initiative: +4.2 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +0.8 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 15 of 15.5 million francs (96 percent used up)
Appenzell Innerrhoden
- Premium discounts 2020: 0.7 million francs
- SP initiative: +1.8 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +0.8 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 0.9 of 1.4 million francs (65 percent used up)
Basel-Landschaft
- Premium reductions in 2020: 49.4 million francs
- SP initiative: +74.1 million francs
- Counterproposal: +56.4 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 54.7 of 61.7 million francs (89 percent used up)
Basel city
- Premium reductions in 2020: 134.9 million francs
- SP initiative: +0
- Counter-proposal: +0
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 110.5 of 123.3 million francs (90 percent used up)
Bern
- Premium reductions in 2020: 278.2 million francs
- SP initiative: +159.4 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +65 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 290 of 312.9 million francs (93 percent used up)
Freiburg
- Premium reductions in 2020: 77.9 million francs
- SP initiative: +32.8 million francs
- Counterproposal: +4.9 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: instead of the budgeted 75.8 million, the canton paid 78.3 million francs (103 percent exhausted)
Geneva
- Premium reductions in 2020: 348 million francs
- SP initiative: +0
- Counter-proposal: +0
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 366.7 of 385.6 million francs (95 percent used up)
Glarus
- Premium discounts 2020: 6 million francs
- SP initiative: +5.5 million francs
- Counterproposal: +4.4 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 6.7 of 8.1 million francs (83 percent used up)
Graubünden
- Premium reductions in 2020: 52.3 million francs
- SP initiative: +17.2 million francs
- Counterproposal: +6.5 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 40.6 of 62.3 million francs (65 percent used up)
law
- Premium reductions in 2020: 25.8 million francs
- SP initiative: +14 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +0
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 32.4 of 32.7 million francs (99 percent used up)
Lucerne
- Premium reductions in 2020: 56.1 million francs
- SP initiative: +44.4 million francs
- Counterproposal: +27.6 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: instead of the budgeted 67.3 million, the canton paid 71.5 million francs (106 percent exhausted)
Neuchatel
- Premium reductions in 2020: 66.1 million francs
- SP initiative: +37.6 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +0
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 61.9 of 66.3 million francs (93 percent used up)
Nidwalden
- Premium discounts 2020: 2.2 million francs
- SP initiative: +4.7 million francs
- Counterproposal: +4.4 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 1.8 of 3.8 million francs (50 percent used up)
Obwalden
- Premium discounts 2020: 5.1 million francs
- SP initiative: +3.2 million francs
- Counterproposal: +1.9 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 6.1 of 9.2 million francs (67 percent used up)
Schaffhausen
- Premium reductions in 2020: 27.8 million francs
- SP initiative: +0
- Counter-proposal: +0
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 28.9 3.0 million francs (97 percent used up)
Schwyz
- Premium reductions in 2020: 18.4 million francs
- SP initiative: +17.8 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +17 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 17.2 of 21.3 million francs (81 percent used up)
Solothurn
- Premium reductions in 2020: 68.6 million francs
- SP initiative: +31.6 million francs
- Counterproposal: +15.5 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 70.5 of 74.6 million francs (95 percent used up)
St. Gallen
- Premium reductions in 2020: 58.5 million francs
- SP initiative: +91.8 million francs
- Counterproposal: +72.5 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 72.7 of 80.7 million francs (90 percent used up)
Ticino
- Premium reductions in 2020: 192.1 million francs
- SP initiative: +11.6 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +0
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 219.5 of 226 million francs (97 percent used up)
Thurgau
- Premium reductions in 2020: 50.7 million francs
- SP initiative: +27.6 million francs
- Counterproposal: +8.9 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 53.8 of 62.7 million francs (86 percent used up)
Uri
- Premium discounts 2020: 3.6 million francs
- SP initiative: +3.7 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +2.7 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 4.5 of 4.5 million francs (100 percent used up)
Vaud
- Premium reductions in 2020: 498.5 million francs
- SP initiative: +0
- Counter-proposal: +0
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 478.9 of 482.9 million francs (99 percent used up)
Valais
- Premium reductions in 2020: 76.1 million francs
- SP initiative: +61.7 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +32.8 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 118.6 of 119 million francs (99 percent used up)
Train
- Premium reductions in 2020: 18.8 million francs
- SP initiative: +2 million francs
- Counter-proposal: +0
- Effectively paid out in 2022: instead of the budgeted 16.6 million, the canton paid 17.6 million francs (106 percent exhausted)
Zurich
- Premium reductions in 2020: 371.1 million francs
- SP initiative: +97.6 million francs
- Counterproposal: +6.9 million francs
- Effectively paid out in 2022: 388.7 of 489.9 million francs (79 percent used up)
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
