Premium reduction More people in Ausserrhoden should receive premium relief

The Ausserrhoden Health and Social Affairs Committee has submitted a motion calling for changes to the individual premium reduction scheme. In future, it should be enshrined in law that over 30 percent of the population is entitled to reductions. In addition, the canton should be obliged to make minimum payments.

Instead of the targeted 30 percent, only 19 to 23.5 percent of the population of Ausserrhoden have benefited from the individual premium reduction (IPV) to date, as the Cantonal Council's Health and Social Affairs Committee (KGS) wrote in a statement on Tuesday. The commission also identified inequalities in the distribution of the IPV: Approximately half of those entitled receive the maximum support, while the other half only receive lower contributions. Amendments are therefore needed at the legislative level.

The KGS proposes that one third of the population of Ausserrhoden should be entitled to IPV by law. "Instead of setting fixed income and asset limits, eligibility should be defined as a percentage of the population," the commission continued. This would ensure broad support and strengthen social security.

The second proposed amendment provides for the canton to pay a fixed minimum share of the IPV in future. Over the last ten years, this share has fluctuated between around 63% and 89.6% of the federal contribution. Setting a minimum share would prevent the canton's financial support for the IPV from being jeopardized by short-term cost-cutting measures. Thanks to the proposed amendment, planning security is improved, as the KGS went on to write.

The purpose of the individual premium reduction is to reduce health insurance premiums for people in modest financial circumstances. The Health Insurance Act obliges the cantons to make corresponding payments, to which the federal government contributes.