Moderate increase in premiums
The average health insurance premium has risen annually by around 3.8 percent since 1996, for this reason alone the threatened two percent increase would not have been a real surprise. In 2020, the premiums were only increased by an average of 0.2 percent, which meant just a little more than one franc per month for an adult.
The direction taken with this will continue in 2021, with most insurers announcing moderate increases of less than one percent or even premium reductions. Only a few cantons are outliers that actually scratch or exceed the two percent mark.
The greatest changes will have to be made by people aged 26 and over in 2021, and here in the cantons of Valais, Ticino and Jura. In the previous year, however, Ticino and Valais were the cantons in which the adjustments were most pronounced.
Wallis even increased for the third time in a row.
Other cantons such as Zurich, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden and Obwalden are lowering the premiums, in Basel Stadt, Schwyz, Zurich and Schaffhausen the premiums are falling for the second time. Here is an overview of the increases and decreases for the individual cantons:
- Aargau: - 0.1 percent
- Appenzell Innerrhoden: - 1.6 percent
- Appenzell Ausserrhoden: - 0.1 percent
- Bern: + 0.8 percent
- Basel Landschaft: + 1.3 percent
- Basel City: 0 percent
- Freiburg: + 0.6 percent
- Geneva: + 0.6 percent
- Glarus: + 0.1 percent
- Graubünden: +0.4 percent
- Jura: +2 percent
- Lucerne: +1.4 percent
- Neuchâtel: - 0.2 percent
- Nidwalden: + 1.1 percent
- Obwalden: -0.1 percent
- St. Gallen: + 0.1 percent
- Schaffhausen: - 0.1 percent
- Solothurn: + 0.1 percent
- Schwyz: - 0.1 percent
- Thurgau: + 1.2 percent
- Ticino: + 2.1 percent
- Uri: + 0.8 percent
- Vaud: + 0.9 percent
- Valais: + 1.6 percent
- Train: + 0.8 percent
- Zurich: - 0.7 percent
The further way of the health insurance premiums
At the moment, no one can say exactly how the premiums will develop in the future. It is likely, however, that they will continue to rise, with a moderate increase as the goal, according to the BAG. The Federal Council has therefore proposed a reduction in reserves in view of demographic change and medical and technical progress. This reserve is currently around eleven billion francs, which, according to the Federal Council, is far too high.
But the fact is first of all that the worries of most Swiss are unfounded and that the premiums rise much less strongly than feared. The reason for the fears was and is the Corona crisis, which causes high expenditure and, according to many, could lead to an increase in premiums.
Conclusion: no strong increases and no corona shock
Only a few cantons show themselves to be outliers and increase the premiums for the health insurance companies by around two percent from 2021. Many health insurers are lowering the premiums, with great savings potential, especially for young adults between 19 and 25 years of age.
This group of insured had already been given reductions the year before, now the premiums will fall again. It remains to be seen whether and how the contributions will develop from 2022 and whether high health insurance expenses will then be passed on to the insured.
