Health insurance premiums dampen income growth
Published: Tuesday, Nov 21st 2023, 12:11
Zurück zu Live Feed
The rise in health insurance premiums will reduce the growth in average disposable Swiss income by 0.4 percentage points in 2023. This is the conclusion drawn by the Health Insurance Premium Index (HIPI) of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). This rose by 3.9% to 202 points
The index can be used to estimate the impact of the increase in health insurance premiums on income development, as the FSO announced on Tuesday. The KVPI records the development of premiums for basic insurance and supplementary insurance.
In 2023, basic insurance premiums rose by 5.4% and reached an index level of 236.7 points (base 1999 = 100). Premiums for supplementary insurance fell by 0.6% and the index stood at 129.6 points. The KVPI covers these two elements.
The higher health insurance premiums thus reduced the growth in estimated average disposable income by 0.4 percentage points between 2022 and 2023. If premiums had remained the same, this additional money would have been available to households for consumption or saving.
According to the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB), the index shows that the premium burden is becoming unbearable for low and middle incomes. Hundreds of thousands of households earn less than the average income and still receive no or too little premium reduction.
According to the SGB, things will get even worse after the New Year. The average increase in 2024 is equivalent to more than one month's premium in 2023, i.e. a "thirteenth month's premium". Meanwhile, 24 out of 26 cantons are budgeting premium reductions that are lagging far behind the increase in premiums.
©Keystone/SDA
German 
English 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic