The conservatives want to increase the minimum deductible | Five years ago, the SVP prevented an increase in the minimum deductible, but now the issue is back on the table.

4 comments

1. Article:

   We always pay at least the first CHF 300 of the doctor’s or hospital bill ourselves. CHF 300 is the so-called minimum deductible for health insurance. Politicians from all centre-right parties now want to increase this deductible: They have tabled several identical motions in the National Council and the Council of States. The aim is for the Swiss population to pay a larger proportion of their health costs themselves.

   It is time. Time to make people pay more for their hospital and medical bills, says SVP National Councillor Diana Gutjahr, adding: “I think it is now appropriate, after around 20 years, to tackle the minimum deductible and personal responsibility and increase it a little.”

   Exactly how high the minimum deductible should rise is not included in the proposals put forward by the centre-right. Diana Gutjahr is proposing CHF 400 instead of the current CHF 300. The measure would reduce premiums somewhat, especially if it were introduced.

   However, the SVP politician also hopes that people will change their behaviour as a result: “If everyone makes their contribution and doesn’t immediately purchase the service that then also has financial consequences, then the costs in the healthcare system can be curbed. And that would be a major contribution, considering that premiums have risen massively again and again in recent years.”

   >__SP: “not social”__

   SP National Councillor Barbara Gysi takes a different view. An increase in the minimum deductible is not social. Gysi says: “It will again hit those people the hardest who are vulnerable, who are chronically ill, who are older and who cannot choose a high deductible. And they will have to pay even more. That really can’t be right.”

   Barbara Gysi therefore does not accept the argument of more personal responsibility: “It is a fact that around a fifth of all people today do not seek medical treatment or do so too late because they are afraid of the additional costs they will have to bear.”

   >__SVP prevented a higher deductible five years ago__

   The new attempt by the conservatives for a higher contribution to healthcare costs is broadly supported by politicians from the SVP, FDP, Centre Party and Green Liberals.

   Funnily enough, parliament was already on the verge of increasing the amount five years ago. At the very last moment, however, the SVP changed its mind and prevented a higher deductible. At the time, this was interpreted as an election campaign manoeuvre by the party.

2. I’d happily raise the maximum one. For me I do not expect to go over 2500 CHF unless I get very seriously sick. If I do, then it won’t matter for me if the deductible is 2500 or 5000 CHF.

   Were there ever any calculations showing how it would affect the cost of Krankenkasse?

3. It is time. Time to make people pay more for their hospital and medical bills, says SVP National Councillor Diana Gutjahr, adding: “I think it is now appropriate, after around 20 years, to tackle the minimum deductible and personal responsibility and increase it a little.” – While I understand her point, has she actually done the math?

   After 20 years, it’s time to eliminate the cantonal differences and establish a national premium to prevent rising costs and distribute them on a broader population instead of just a canton, to even things out. We also don’t need the latest X-ray or MRI technology constantly—stop buying cutting-edge equipment all the time just because you need to deplete the busget. It’s also time to cut the bonuses of hospital CEOs and insurance CEOs, and reduce the wasteful marketing efforts by health insurance providers. We all know that we check for the 3-5 cheapest providers and then choose the best value, instead of responding to spam calls and billboards.

   We need to make the cost of treatment uniform (TARMED has failed to achieve this after 20 years). Why should I pay 50 CHF for bloodwork here and 150 CHF somewhere else? And it’s time to ditch “alternative medicine.”

   “Solidarity” is always invoked when people have to deliver, and “Eigenverantwortung” is a beautiful yet nonsensical concept in this scheme. Where is the progressive healthcare premium? I know I’d probably pay more even though I live in Basel-Stadt, but that’s fairer. Wheres the employer contribution? That’s solidarity. Not “let the people pay, and if we need to increase it we just do it…”

   This constant whining from people trying to hold onto a failing system that only knows one remedy is ridiculous. “Just charge the people more” won’t be a viable option forever. Are they delusional? When the whole system collapses, we’ll have to rebuild everything quickly out of necessity, and then we have another system that barely matches the peoples need at a high cost, just a bit different to what we have right now.

   But… 400 instead of 300? Wow, how could I not think of this genius move. That will surely cover it. Maybe even for a few weeks if we pray really hard.

4. “Conservatives” doesn’t sound like a correct translation of “Bürgerliche” to me. GLP and FDP are certainly not conservative parties.