Published
The cantons should not be able to create cantonal, regional or inter-cantonal health insurance institutions. He rejected Wednesday an initiative of the canton of Neuchâtel in this direction.
Neuchâtel wanted to respond to the major concern of policyholders on the increase in premiums.
VQH
The cantons should not be able to create a cantonal, regional or intercantonal health insurance institution. Like the States, the National rejected by 112 votes once morest 63 an initiative in this direction of the canton of Neuchâtel.
For the canton, this initiative responded to the major concern of the increase in insurance premiums. Its objective was to enable the cantons to create an institution responsible for setting and collecting premiums, financing the costs borne by compulsory health insurance, purchasing and controlling the execution of administrative tasks and contributing to the financing of prevention and of health promotion.
“Even if the initiative maintains the possibility of choosing other insurers and if the institution created would be independent and endowed with a management body in which the care providers and the insured would be represented, it must be clear: it it is a question of instituting for the cantons which wish it the principle of the single health fund ”, launched Benjamin Roduit (Center / VS) on behalf of the commission.
Paradigm shift
The Valais MP felt that the initiative would lead to a radical paradigm shift with regard to the setting and collection of premiums, as well as the financing of compulsory healthcare insurance. “However, the current system is good, reliable, of high quality, debt-free and would be greatly harmed by the introduction of a single health insurance fund, even limited to certain cantons,” he explained.
In addition, the implementation of this initiative would involve many difficulties, in particular with regard to the legal status of such an institution as well as with regard to the monitoring of its work, underlined the Valaisan.
A minority of the committee considered that this initiative made it possible to improve transparency and reduce administrative costs. According to her, it was a good compromise, because during the federal votes on the introduction of a single fund, the idea had met with great success in French-speaking Switzerland.
Vaud cantonal initiative
It should be noted that the canton of Vaud has also asked the federal authorities for the possibility of setting up a cantonal health insurance institution. With the support of the government, the Grand Council in February 2021 adopted a cantonal initiative addressed to the Federal Assembly. The institution would be responsible for setting and collecting premiums, negotiating rates with caregivers while administrative tasks – such as checking invoices – would remain in the hands of insurers. This is similar to what is practiced for AVS or unemployment insurance.