Swiss Health Premium Hikes Expected To Ease

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The Swiss population will see health premiums rise again in 2026, but less severely than the 6% rise this year. This content was published on May 27, 2025 - 14:34 3 minutes Keystone-SDA

• Français fr Hausse des primes maladie a priori plus modérée en 2026 en Suisse Original Read more: Hausse des primes maladie a priori plus modérée en 2026 en Suiss

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

Last year, the average increase in premiums at national level was 6%. The figure for 2024 was +8.7%.

Premiums reflect healthcare costs. These costs are continuing to rise, and there is no change in the dynamics at this level,” explained Thomas Christen, deputy director of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), at a press briefing on Tuesday. He cited the ageing population and the cost of new drugs as other causes.

+ Is there an answer to Swiss spiralling healthcare costs?

Rise in costs

This was expected, but it is nonetheless“worrying”, according to Christen. In the first quarter of 2025, health insurance benefits per person rose by 4.9%, compared with an increase of 4.7% in 2024, according to the latest FOPH figures. This figure could fall further, but it is too early to make any concrete predictions.

The rise in premiums should therefore correspond to the expected increase in costs.“While remaining cautious, we can say that the rise in health premiums in 2026 should be slightly more moderate than in 2025,” explained Philipp Muri, Head of Division at the FOPH.

Reserves

The downward trend in insurers' reserves observed in recent years was halted in 2024. This should contribute to a more moderate rise in premiums. These reserves are estimated at around CHF7.8 billion for 2024, CHF450 million more than in 2023.

As in previous years, there will be differences between cantons and insurers. What is also decisive is what is expected in terms of healthcare costs for 2026, according to Muri.

Insurers will deliver their forecasts in the summer, at which point the Confederation will be able to take a more precise view. Last week, the Comparis comparison institute forecast a 4% rise in health insurance premiums for next year.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

How we work

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

Did you find this explanation helpful? Please fill out the short survey below to help us understand your needs.

Popular Stories More Foreign Affairs Online quarrel reveals Swiss life of luxury of Cameroon's ruling family Read more: Online quarrel reveals Swiss life of luxury of Cameroon's ruling famil

MENAFN27052025000210011054ID1109601421