Image: © Emergency Signage, Pixabay License, Source.
Author: William Flores
We’re all used to that typically Swiss tradition, repeating itself every year. At best it annoys us, at worst it fills us with paralyzing anxiety. You know what I’m talking about. No? Why it’s the yearly health insurance premium increase, of course! For real though, Swiss healthcare is a joke. Want to hear some not so fun facts? No? Too bad.
Did you know that in Switzerland 1 in 4 people don’t go to the doctor when they need to, due to financial reasons?[1] That’s because they chose the highest possible deductible in order to pay the lowest possible monthly premium. What kind of twisted, perverted, and cartoonishly evil mind came up with this system, where if you’re poor, you’re encouraged to save a few bucks every month, only to pay up to 2’500 francs out of pocket for medical bills?
And did you know that in Switzerland, health insurance premiums have gone up by 158% since 1997? In the meantime, wages have only gone up by 12%.[2]
Also, did you know that some cantons blacklist people who, for whatever reason, cannot pay their premiums? Those people then only have access to a loosely defined “emergency care.” Because of this, an HIV-positive person in Grisons actually died in 2018.[3] Their salary was too high to apply for healthcare subsidies, but because they were in a lot of debt, they could not pay their premiums either. They ended up being blacklisted, and eventually died from AIDS, because the Canton and the insurance company were too busy fighting over whether or not this person’s case constituted an “emergency,” instead of just treating them.
Furthermore, did you know that only 37% of our country’s total healthcare expenditure is covered via progressive public financing (i.e. taxes and social insurance contributions)? The EU average stands at 76%.[4] This means that mandatory insurance premiums and out-of-pocket contributions finance the brunt of healthcare costs in this country. This is an inherently regressive way of funding healthcare, as someone earning 3’000 francs/month and someone earning 20’000 francs/month basically pay the same premium.
This madness needs to end. It is high time we set up a Swiss equivalent of the National Health Service, providing free care at point of service, funded either through taxation or progressive social insurance contributions. This being a rather conservative country, we might have to wait for this, but, on June 9th, Swiss voters will have a wonderful opportunity to reform our broken healthcare system.
In fact, citizens are called to vote on the Socialist Party proposal to cap premiums at max. 10% of people’s disposable income. If the premium exceeds that amount, the difference would have to be paid for by the joint contribution of the Canton and the Confederation.[5] This would mean relief for many lower- and middle-class households, and would mark a first step towards shifting healthcare expenditure from private to public funding. It’s a small step, but it seems doable, especially given the momentum of the AVS/AHV vote from last February, which marked the first expansion of the welfare state in years. So, talk about healthcare with your friends and family, and don’t forget to vote. Let’s keep the ball rolling!
[1] Pirolt. “Franchises élevées : ces assurés qui renoncent à se faire soigner faute de moyens.” RTS, 24.10.2024.
[2] “Des primes-maladie exorbitantes : la situation se corse.” Union Syndicale Suisse.
[3] Michiels. “Pas de soins pour le mauvais payeur. Il en meurt.” Le Matin, 29.04.2018.
[4] OECD Health Statistics 2023.
[5] “Initiative d’allègement des primes.” PS Suisse.