This week, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Switzerland’s Health Minister, announced health insurance premiums will rise by an average of 6% in 2025 to CHF 378.70 a month. However, the range of the increase varies from 1.5% to 10.5% depending on the canton of residence.
According the minister, the increase is driven by rising health care costs and inflation. Another driver is the changing age structure of Switzerland’s population. Older people require significantly more care than younger people, who make up a shrinking percentage of the population. New drugs and treatments are also adding to the cost.
The government has been trying to implement cost saving measures for many years with little to show for it. According to Baume-Schneider, a proposal for uniform financing of all outpatient and inpatient health services will provide relief for premium payers. She is hoping voters will accept the proposal in a vote on 24 November 2024.
There are some clear structural problems in Swiss healthcare. Drug prices are one example. Swiss pharmacy prices are astoundingly ridiculous to foreigners. For example, the regularly used pain medicine Ibuprofen can cost close to 50 times as much in Switzerland as it does in the US. In the US, Costco sells 1,000 ibuprofen tablets of 200mg for US$ 10,99 (CHF 9.25). Much the same money (CHF 9.20) in Switzerland will only get you a box of ten 400mg tablets. These tablets are very inexpensive to produce. The ibuprofen in one 400mg tablet costs 0.6 cents (Ibuprofen costs around US$ 15 a Kg). So the ibuprofen in that box of ten 400mg tablets cost only 6 cents. But it is priced at CHF 9.20.
The residents hardest hit by premium price rises in 2025 will be those in the canton of Ticino (+10.5%), Glarus (9.2%) and Jura (+8.9%). Basel-City (+1.5%), Schaffhausen (+3.8%), St Gallen (+4.4%) and Neuchâtel (+4.6%) residents will feel the least pain. Residents of Zurich (+4.9%), Bern (+5.6%), Vaud (+6.4%), Geneva (+6.5%) and Valais (+7.8%) will experience moderate pain levels.
After premium rises, the most expensive cantons in 2025 will be Geneva (CHF 477.50 per month), Ticino (CHF 472.70) and Basel-City (CHF 456.20). The least expensive will be Appenzell Innerrhoden (CHF 257.90), Uri (CHF 290.60) and Obwalden (CHF 303.10). Moving from Geneva to Appenzell Innerrhoden in 2025 could bring an annual premium saving of CHF 2,635.20. The cantons of Vaud (CHF 423.30), Valais (CHF 357), Bern (CHF 386), Zurich (CHF 358), Neuchâtel (CHF 431) will be in between.
To views premiums for 2025 go to the government website primeinfo. This is a free service that sets out all premiums based on place of residence, age, deductible level and insurance company. All health insurance companies in Switzerland must submit their prices for the coming year for inclusion in this database.
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