Baume-Schneider expects health premium increases to slow

Swiss health minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider expects the next announced rise in health insurance premiums to be well below 5 percent, though she cannot rule out an increase. She made the forecast in an interview with SRF after premiums were set to rise by an average of 5 percent in 2027.

The increase means an average family of four will pay more than 15,000 francs in premiums, SRF reported. Baume-Schneider said she understood the financial burden, and noted that an ageing population and improved options for medicines, care and treatment all came at a cost.

She identified the growing volume of healthcare services used per person as the main driver of higher costs. Responsibility, she said, did not rest with patients alone, but also with doctors, healthcare providers, cantons and the federal government. “Everyone needs to make a positive contribution,” she said.

Baume-Schneider said doctors should pass on discounts on medicines to health insurers and premium payers. She also acknowledged that her department had not checked these discounts closely enough, as Switzerland’s Federal Audit Office had found. Her department would step up oversight with insurers, she said.

At next year’s premium announcement, the first effects of uniform financing for healthcare services are expected to be felt. Baume-Schneider said she was sure the change would have a noticeable impact on premiums, but did not predict a reduction. She expected the increase to be significantly lower than 5 percent.