Swiss health insurance deductibles to remain changeable annually

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One idea for containing rising healthcare costs was to remove the possibility of changing health insurance deductibles every year, making it possible only every three years.

If people are able to switch from high to low deductibles annually then they can save money by opting for a high deductible one year, while postponing visits to the doctor until the following year when they opt for a low one. Locking deductibles for three years would reduce this practice, save the system money and, it was hoped, make people think more about how they could improve their health and avoid the doctor.

However, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, and parliament didn’t like the idea and have rejected it, according to 20 Minutes.

The main reasons for rejecting the plan were that it would not encourage people to take more personal responsibility for their health and would deliver only a tiny saving, estimated at CHF 5 million a year.

Switzerland has the second most expensive healthcare in the world. In 2017, a record CHF 82.5 billion was spent on healthcare in Switzerland. This is 12.3% of Switzerland’s GDP. Only the United States, which spends 17.2% of GDP, spends more.