Central Switzerland Obwalden residents to receive earlier notification of premium reduction

In the canton of Obwalden, the premium reduction is to be paid out earlier from 2026. The deductible is therefore to be determined in December of the previous year instead of spring.

The cantonal government has submitted a partial revision of the legislation on premium reductions for consultation, as announced on Wednesday. The adjustments are based on an impact report from 2023.

One change is that the deductible is now to be set by the cantonal government and in December of the previous year. This is currently the responsibility of the Cantonal Council, which previously did so in March.

The current regulation has the disadvantage that recipients of the premium reduction will only find out the exact amount of the reduction in the course of the year, explained the cantonal government in its consultation report.

This also means that the health insurance companies will only be able to credit the reduction to insured persons from June. Insured persons would therefore have to pay their premiums in advance, which is not in line with federal legislation, explained the government council.

According to the cantonal government, the proposed change should speed up the process by around three months. However, the powers of the cantonal government to set the deductible are to be limited, namely to a range of 9.0 to 11.5 percent.

The consultation period will last until December 18. The change is to be implemented in 2026.