In recent years, the costs of basic insurance at CSS and Helsana have seen a significant increase, leading to concerns about even higher health insurance premiums in the future. In 2024, premiums rose by an average of 8.7%, following a 6.6% increase the previous year. Both CSS and Helsana reported losses on basic insurance in 2023, with costs rising by 8% for CSS and 4.7% for Helsana.
Experts believe that these increases may be indicative of a new trend rather than just a catch-up effect from the pandemic. Health economist Heinz Locher warns of the possibility of further significant premium increases in the coming years due to financial difficulties and rising personnel costs due to labor shortages.
Various factors contribute to the rising expenses for basic insurance, including increased costs of medications, inpatient hospital treatments, and an expanded catalog of benefits. Additionally, there is a high demand among the population for better and more expensive treatments, leading to a sense of entitlement that drives up costs.
To address the imbalance in the Swiss healthcare system, experts recommend reviewing the catalog of basic insurance benefits, utilizing Health Technology Assessments (HTA) to check costs, implementing flat rates per treatment case, and encouraging smarter medical practices. Increasing the minimum deductible for patients and making service providers more responsible for costs are also potential solutions to help curb rising health insurance premiums.
As such, it is important for policymakers to take action to address these concerns before they become too severe. Failure to do so could result in even higher health insurance premiums in the future and put a strain on individuals’ finances.
