The average health insurance premium will be CHF 378.70 per month in 2025, which corresponds to an increase of 6% compared to 2024. Premiums follow the costs. These will continue to grow in the future due to new therapies and medications as well as the ageing of society. Since this year, inflation has been increasingly reflected in tariffs, causing costs to rise noticeably. To ensure that the healthcare system remains financially viable, everyone is called upon to curb costs in the long term.
(red) In 2025, the average monthly premium will be CHF 378.70, which corresponds to an increase of CHF 21.60 compared to 2024. The average premium is calculated by adding up all premiums paid in Switzerland and dividing them by the total number of insured persons in Switzerland. The premiums are set by the insurers in such a way that the expected costs are covered for each insurer and each canton. The FOPH approved all submitted premiums for 2025 after a thorough examination of compliance with the legal provisions. Adjustments were requested where necessary.
The average premium increase of 6% is based on the insurers’ estimates of the changes in their portfolio of insured persons. However, the actual increase in premiums is expected to be lower, as more insured persons will choose higher deductibles or switch to an alternative insurance model if premiums rise more sharply, for example. As a result, the effective average premium level will fall. Taking these effects into account, as in previous years, the FOPH expects an effective increase of 5.5%.
Cost increases require increase
The rise in premiums is due to the growth in health insurance costs. With costs already growing faster than the long-term average at 4.6% in 2023, the increase in costs remains at a high level. The sharp rise in costs is due to a variety of factors, such as new medications and treatment options or the shift from inpatient treatment to outpatient care. In addition, insurers’ reserves have fallen to CHF 7.3 billion across the industry as at the beginning of 2024. The main reason for this is that healthcare costs grew more strongly in 2023 than expected at the time of premium submission.
Healthcare costs will continue to rise in the future due to the ageing population and new therapies and medicines. However, cost growth must be kept in check to ensure that the healthcare system remains financially viable in the long term. Cost containment is an ongoing task that must be tackled in various places by various players.
Source: www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/das-bag/aktuell/news/news-26-09-2024-1.html (last accessed on 30.09.2024).
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