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Patients will have to pay more medical costs themselves in future: Parliament has instructed the Federal Council to increase the minimum deductible.
KEYSTONE
The Federal Council is to increase the minimum deductible and draw up an automatic adjustment mechanism. After the Council of States, the National Council also approved a corresponding motion on Wednesday.
After the Council of States, the National Council has also approved a proposal by the Federal Council to increase the minimum health insurance deductible. The adjustment is intended to better reflect the current cost situation in basic insurance.
On Wednesday, the National Council voted 118 in favor, 70 against and 4 abstentions for the motion by Esther Friedli, member of the Council of States. The SVP politician had justified her motion with the fact that the last increase in the minimum deductible was more than 20 years ago, but that healthcare costs have risen sharply in that time.
When the new Health Insurance Act came into force in 1996, the minimum deductible was CHF 150. Two years later it was increased to 230 francs. The last adjustment was made in 2004: since then, insured persons have had to pay at least CHF 300 per year towards treatment costs themselves.
Those in favor of the adjustment are hoping for more personal responsibility on the part of the insured. Opponents fear that chronically ill and elderly people in particular will suffer from the increase in deductibles.
Friedli had emphasized in her proposal that the increase in the deductible and the adjustment mechanism should be moderate. "Anyone who receives supplementary benefits will not feel the effects of this motion or this measure," said SVP National Councillor Diana Gutjahr during the debate.
The motion was adopted with the votes from the conservative camp. The no votes came from the SP and the Greens. They fear that the increase in the minimum deductible will further promote "two-tier medicine".
It is still unclear how high the adjustment to the minimum deductible will be. A date has also not yet been set. The Federal Council must implement the motion within the next two years.
