Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Proposal launched for limited health insurance coverage

Woman calculating health insurance costs
Many households are struggling to pay the mandatory health insurance premiums in Switzerland. Keystone/Martin Ruetschi

Another people's initiative has been launched aimed at reforming the Swiss health insurance system and giving citizens the choice of a system that offers limited coverage.

A committee group, made up of representatives of various political parties and organisations, argue residents in Switzerland should have the option to choose a less expensive health insurance scheme which excludes certain medical services.

The group now has 18 months to collect at least 100,000 signatures for a proposed amendment to the Swiss constitution.

A similar proposal was put forward in March by a member of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party to be discussed by parliament.

Opponents argue that such a proposal undermines solidarity between the healthy and the sick, and that it creates a two-tier system for the rich and those less well-off.

Public concern

Rising health costs are a major concern for Swiss citizens, as many households struggle to pay mandatory insurance fees. The costs are expected to continue to increase in the next few years.

The left-wing Social Democrats and the centrist Christian Democrats have each launched separate initiatives in a bid to curb the steady rise in health insurance costs for patients over the past nine months.

Earlier this year, however, two other initiatives – granting cantonal authorities the right to set insurance premiums and banning parliamentarians from sitting on the boards and in top management positions of health insurance companies – failed to gain enough public support.

More

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

News

Passengers of Swiss Federal Railways

More

Swiss are champions of rail travel in Europe

This content was published on Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled.

Read more: Swiss are champions of rail travel in Europe
press conference

More

Too much attention paid to queer people, says Swiss survey

This content was published on Most Swiss are well disposed towards LGBTQ people, according to a study. However, prejudice and intolerance persist in certain sectors of society, particularly towards transgender and intersex people.

Read more: Too much attention paid to queer people, says Swiss survey

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR