Switzerland’s independent online comparison service moneyland.ch analyzed premium data for individual premium regions, age groups, insurance models, deductible options and health insurance providers for the years 2013, 2018 and 2019.
As part of the comprehensive study, moneyland.ch analyzed health insurance premiums for each linguistic region and for individual premium regions based on their primary official language.
Major differences in premiums between regions
The trend towards higher health insurance premiums for policyholders in French-speaking and Italian-speaking Switzerland shows no sign of stopping in 2019. Health insurance providers justify the major regional differences in premiums charged by citing the variation in health care costs between premium regions.
While adult residents of German-speaking Switzerland aged 26 years old or more must pay an average of 368 Swiss francs per month in compulsory health insurance premiums, the average premium for adult residents of Ticino is 414 francs per month and the average premium in French-speaking Switzerland is 437 francs per month. “Adult policyholders in French-speaking Switzerland will have to pay around 825 francs more for health insurance in 2019, on average, than their German-speaking compatriots,” according to moneyland.ch analyst Felix Oeschger. “Residents of Ticino will have to pay around 550 francs more throughout the coming insurance year than policyholders in German-speaking Switzerland.”
The situation is similar for young adults between the ages of 19 and 25 years old. On average, young adults in French-speaking Switzerland will have to pay 330 francs per month in premiums for mandatory health insurance, compared to an average premium of 299 francs per month in Ticino and 274 francs per month in German-speaking Switzerland. What that means is that throughout the coming year, young adults in French-speaking regions can expect to pay around 674 francs more in premiums than those in German-speaking regions. Young adults in Ticino will pay around 300 francs more than those in German-speaking Switzerland. The average 2019 premium for a child in French-speaking Switzerland is around 200 francs more than the average child premium in the German-speaking region.
French-speaking cantons compared
Geneva is the second most expensive canton for health insurance after Basel Stadt. The average health insurance premium for Genevans in 2019 is 484 francs per month. A number of other French-speaking cantons also fall into the top most expensive cantons for health insurance. The average premium in the canton of Jura is 432 francs per month. The average premium in Neuchâtel is 442 francs per month and the average premium in Vaud ranges between 422 and 450 francs per month – depending on the premium region. Premiums for young adults and children follow similar geographical patterns.
A Röstigraben in Valais
The analysis of premiums in the canton of Valais shows particularly interesting results with regards to linguistic borders. Valais is divided into two premium regions, with one being made up primarily of German-speaking municipalities and the other being made up primarily of French-speaking municipalities. “The average adult premium in the French-speaking part of Valais is 357 francs per month, compared to just 330 francs per month in the German-speaking region,” explains moneyland.ch CEO Benjamin Manz. Across the insurance year, health insurance premiums in the French-speaking region are 325 francs higher.
Regional premium developments between 2013 and 2019
The average monthly health insurance premium for adults in German-speaking regions in 2019 is 10 francs (2.7 percent) higher than the average premium in 2018. The average monthly premium in French-speaking Switzerland is 11 francs (2.6 percent) higher. The 2019 average monthly premium in Ticino is 17 francs (4.2 percent) higher than the average 2018 premium. While differences in health insurance premium increases between linguistic regions from the 2018 to the 2019 insurance years are not huge, the differences become more apparent when you compare the 2013 and 2019 insurance years.
The average monthly premium for an adult living in German-speaking Switzerland is 67 francs higher in 2019 than the average monthly premium in 2013. The average monthly premium for policyholders in Ticino has increased by 83 francs between 2013 and 2019, while the average monthly premium in French-speaking Switzerland is 92 francs higher in 2019 than it was in 2013.
Based on average premiums, policyholders in German-speaking Switzerland will pay 800 francs more for health insurance throughout 2019 than they paid in 2013. Residents of Ticino will pay around 995 francs more, while residents of French-speaking Switzerland will pay 1100 more for health insurance in 2019 than they did in 2013. Over the last 6 years, average premiums have increased by 37 percent more in French-speaking Switzerland than in German-speaking Switzerland, and by 24 percent more in Italian-speaking Switzerland.
More on this topic:
Interactive Swiss compulsory health insurance premium comparison
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