I am now looking at the latest price increases by some of the major health insurance companies and they are damn right ugly in certain cantons.
Zurich zone 1, Bern zones 1,2 and 3 have been hit hard, particularly with sanitas,innova and visana group.
Basel is also getting slugged, they must be after all those rich pharma types (Begga,Adrianlondon?)
In contrast Helsana increases have been very moderate this year, with the exception of Bern 1, too many bloated public servant paypackets to pass up I suppose.
Sanitas is making big (massive) increases all over so look out.
A thing to keep in mind, is most of the increases have been in the basic insurance, from what I can see, most of the supp. insurance remains fairly constant.
You have been warned............

Where are you getting your info?

Read something similiar in the 20minuten
Just as I have to add 1 possibly 3 kids and a partner on to my policy

I've been offered 5 bucks less for the same package next year.

Where's Jenny when you need her?

This juicy little blatt in my hands is a release from one of the Übervermittlers that I work with.
Most of the information can be found on the companies websites.
It seems a lot of the comapnies are dragging their feet releasing theor premiums for 2011 and updating their offerring systems..something to hide perhaps. ( I think there was a change in the laws though saying when companies could release their new prices)

The current poster campaign is a sure sign things are about to bite. Anyone who feels the need to justify profits... etc.

There is still some reasonable prices out there, but they are becoming rarer than rocking horse s**t, and who knows what these companies have in mind for 2012......

Yes, there was a change (not on the level of a law) which basically prohibits the publication of the future prices before they were approved by the federal authorities (max. 5000.- fine, not very prohibitive IMHO). But as the authorities legal base for changing the prices is quite narrow (and was further narrowed by a decision of the supreme court lately), chances of big changes due to the approbation process are slim.

The mean increase 2010/2011 will be lower than the one 2009/2010 though.

We should threaten them again with the "one central health insurance" proposal: then they stop increasing their prices.
I am sure a lot of tricks and games are done in the backstage within the insurances....not very transparent. The same applies to Billag who collected 67Millions CHF too much (seen that on 20minutes).

Hope assura will stay at its level.

As far as the basic insurance is concerned the companies have to operate on a non-profit making basis. Only on the supplementary insurance is there a profit element.

One has to face that Health Insurance is going to cost more and more as we all live longer and demand more exotic and expensive drugs and care.

It also appears to me that people do tend to go to the doctors for really trivial problems.
Perhaps I am lucky but I haven't been to the doctors since 1999 in the UK and in Switzerland never since being resident since 2005 and yet my premium goes up every year though they give me a CHF20 refund per annum after I have paid (12 x CHF210) CHF 2520 per annum.

It may well be that the Health Insurance that will totally bankrupt the USA because this future cost is not really in the government future equations unlike interest is on government financial debt.

How right you are ! Would we really want to stop the introduction of all new drugs and techniques so we could keep the cost of insurance down ?

I’m dependent on an expensive drug which, in the UK, is not available under the health system as it’s not considered ‘cost effective’. Fortunately I have no intentions of returning there !

Any info on Kanton SO please?

Saw this on the (CH) news this w/end - they were talking about 11% increases in some places.

Am escaping Basel city end of this year, so any news welcome...

Yein... (IMO).

Yes there are more and more expensive drugs, but Drs especially in CH do tend to take advantage of situations and prescribe tests and treatments that are not always needed. As the patient, you'll rarely seek a second opinion, and as you usually don't pay you'll not object.

When we had our 1st baby, the gynae did the usual ultrasound scan for Down's. The result came back as being well above the risk threshold, but she then asked if we wanted to take the a blood sample. We asked why, she said "because you can...".

Basically, the hospital get "free" money for doing a test. Some oversight of what Drs are doing to spend the insurers (and our) money is needed IMO.

Price increases We pay loads in insurance each month and this year has seen us as a family having to take decisions on a treatment for our baby costing a few thousand that we were told isn't covered by insurance. Thieving b*stards.

The basic insurance cover is very extensive. May one ask what the condition was that was not covered ?

Marie I'm quite sure your information is incorrect. If your baby has a serious health issue, the health insurance still continues to cover, but all costs directly related to the issue (even transportation to and from hospital/doctor) is covered by the Invalidity Insurance AI.

The doctors diagnose and determine the issue, then they declare the child to the AI (which is free). The AI will cover the baby's health costs for that specific problem for the duration of the problem or until the age of 18 (I believe).

Depends on who you are insured with........

At least the Drs in CH dictate care, unlike in the US where the insurers dictate care. My preference is for the doctor.

I've found doctors here to be less test-happy and less med-happy than in the US. I suppose it varies by patient and physician.

I suspect the US is probably worse, but we have had cases reported on this forum of unnecessary treatment.

Assura. Thanks