Our position with regard to the two health votes on 9 June 2024

8 May 2024
 

On 9 June 2024, the Swiss population will vote on the Cost-Brake Initiative and the Premium Relief Initiative. As health partner to more than 800,000 customers, we want to inform you of Sanitas’ position with regard to both health initiatives.

The Centre’s Cost-Brake Initiative

Aim of the initiative

The Cost-Brake Initiative seeks to force the Federal Council and the cantons to act to curb health insurance costs. If cost growth per insured person is 20% higher than nominal wage growth, the Federal Council, in cooperation with the cantons, should take measures to limit costs.

Sanitas rejects the initiative. We take the issue of constantly rising healthcare costs seriously and see a need for action to relieve the burden on premium payers. However, the Cost-Brake Initiative is not conducive to this. In particular, because

  • the feasibility and effectiveness of the initiative is unclear
  • it would result in the end of tariff autonomy, with undesirable interventions in the tariff agreement of the tariff partners
  • it would jeopardise the security of supply
  • it would threaten to ration medical services

 

Apart from The Centre party itself, no other party is convinced by the Cost-Brake Initiative. The initiative is rejected by the Federal Council and the Parliament.

 

The Federal Council and the Parliament have therefore adopted a counter-proposal to the initiative, which would automatically come into force if the initiative is rejected (unless a referendum is held against it). The counter-proposal specifies that the Federal Council must set cost and quality targets for four years. The cantons can set additional targets, and a federal commission would monitor developments and make recommendations. Sanitas also rejects the counter-proposal.

Social Democratic Party’s Premium Relief Initiative

Aim of the initiative

The initiative proposes that no one should spend more than 10% of their disposable income on health insurance premiums. The difference must be paid by the federal government and the cantons in the form of premium reductions. In addition, the initiative states that two-thirds of the premium reduction should be financed by the federal government, with a maximum of one-third being financed by the cantons.

Sanitas rejects the Premium Relief Initiative, because

  • the initiative would lead to pure redistribution and only combats symptoms
  • it would cause unnecessary redistribution
  • it would lead to total costs of almost CHF 10 billion per year
  • it would remove responsibility from the cantons

 

Sanitas is aware that premium increases are placing an ever-increasing burden on households in Switzerland. That’s why Sanitas is in favour of the Federal Council’s indirect counter-proposal and supports measures to provide greater financial relief for premium payers. The indirect counter-proposal creates new mechanisms to stop the observed withdrawal of individual cantons from premium reductions at a statutory level. Specifically, the counter-proposal would reduce premiums by at least an additional CHF 360 million.

 

The Social Democratic Party is calling for a “Yes” vote on the initiative. The Federal Council and the Parliament reject the initiative.