Federal Council rejects popular initiatives to reduce the premium burden
Published: Friday, Apr 5th 2024, 10:10
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No, no and no again: the Federal Council recommends rejecting all three popular initiatives that will be put to the ballot box on June 9. It wants to combat the increasing burden of health insurance premiums with two legislative projects passed by parliament.
The SP's popular initiative "Maximum 10 percent of income for health insurance premiums (premium relief initiative)" should be rejected in the view of the Federal Council because, among other things, the majority of contributions would have to be paid by the federal government. Furthermore, the initiative contains no direct incentive to curb healthcare costs.
The Federal Council prefers the more favorable indirect counter-proposal of Parliament instead, as it announced on Friday. This links the amount of premium reductions to be paid by a canton to its healthcare costs.
Cost brake too rigid
The situation is similar with the popular initiative "For lower premiums - cost brake in the healthcare system (cost brake initiative)" from the Center Party. This cost brake is too rigid for the Federal Council and Parliament because it does not take into account factors such as the ageing population and medical progress.
Here, too, a law passed by parliament is to take effect instead of a new article in the constitution. This stipulates that the Federal Council would have to determine every four years how much the costs of compulsory health insurance (OKP) may rise at most. If costs were to rise more than agreed without justification, the Federal Council and cantons would have to examine measures.
Unclear consequences of third initiative
Finally, the Federal Council says no to the popular initiative "For freedom and physical integrity (Stop Compulsory Vaccination Initiative)" launched by vaccination sceptics. Their core concern, physical and mental integrity, is already enshrined as a fundamental right in the Federal Constitution, so the argument goes.
It is also unclear what concrete consequences the adoption of the initiative would have, for example for the work of the police.
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