| Quote: | |  | |
| why is Geneva more expensive than other cantons? | |
| | |
Good question....
The premiums for the basic insurance are based on the medical costs in that canton.
Therefore, we can conclude that :
i) Medical (especially hospital) costs are higher in Geneva than in other cantons
ii) People use their insurance more in Geneva than in other cantons.
With regards to number ii), if you live in the middle of the Swiss countryside and your nearest doctor is a 20 minute drive away, you're only going to go and see him/her if you really, really need to.
In Geneva, there are lots of doctors and the likelihood of having one in your building, or next door, or near work is higher and therefore people sometimes go "just in case" which apparently happens less in the other cantons.
You could also argue that there is more pollution in Geneva and other big towns than up the Alpes and therefore people get ill more easily and therefore need the doctors more.