Collection takes place on the 18th birthday: family liability for premium debts comes to an end

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The young woman is barely an adult and is confronted with a mountain of debts: she has to pay 7,000 francs to the health insurer. And she can’t do anything about it. Her mother had not paid her premiums when she was a minor. Now the student must answer for this.

Christoph Walter works at the JuBe contact point for young people up to 25 years old, the youth advice center of Jeugdwerk Basel. He advises the 18-year-old and describes her story. She is not an isolated case. From time to time, Walter and his colleagues counsel young people whose parents have not paid their health insurance bills. Until now, young adults inevitably fell into debt by their 18th birthday.

Debt advisors are happy

This must not happen again in the future. Last spring, the House of Representatives decided that young people no longer have to be responsible for health insurance debts caused by their parents. Now, on January 1, 2024, this change will finally come into effect. The Federal Council decided this last week.

The move is “long overdue,” said Pascal Pfister, director of the Swiss Debt Advisory Association. “The current arrangement is actually a form of family detention,” he criticizes. According to federal figures, about five percent of the population lives in a household with at least one payment behind on health insurance premiums.

However, the Federal Council had not seen the need for action for a long time. In 2017 he rejected the SP’s demand for a change in the law. Then a surprising change of heart occurred: when a year later an SVP representative made the exact same demand, the state government suddenly backed it.

Implementation comes on the 18th anniversary

From next year, young people from the age of minor will no longer be allowed to pay for health insurance debts. And despite these old problems, they are allowed to switch to another, cheaper health insurer. However, the new law only applies to young people who reach adulthood after January 1, 2024. Anyone born before January 1, 2006 was unlucky.

According to Walter, the change in the choice of health insurer is particularly crucial. Nowadays, health insurers deal with children’s premium debts in very different ways. There are insurers who send a collection letter just before your 18th birthday. However, young people often only become aware of the transferred debts when they want to switch – and find out that this is not possible due to the outstanding payments.

It also happened that dubious real estate agents sold the young people involved a new cash register, while this is not legally permitted. This throws them into a maelstrom of trouble.

It takes years to become debt free

“For many young people it is a shock when they hear about the premium debt,” says youth advisor Walter. Because they don’t get rid of it that quickly. Many are still in school and earn little or no money.

This also applies to the young woman who advises Walter. She is completing high school and would like to study later. The new law comes too late for them. It will take years before she pays off the premium debt.

Source:Blick