Explainer: Swiss vote on capping health insurance premiums at 10% of income

On June 9, Swiss voters will decide whether to accept or reject an initiative from the left-wing Social Democratic Party which proposes that no one should pay more than 10% of their income on health insurance premiums. Many Swiss find it difficult to pay their healthcare bills. Millions of people in Europe are facing the same problem, as shown in a recent report by the World Health Organization. This problem could grow even worse. Demographic changes and medical-technical advances are constantly pushing up costs. To tackle this, every year the Swiss government announces a substantial increase in health insurance premiums. In 2024 they rose to an average of 8.7% of income. These constantly rising costs hit the budget of people living in Switzerland particularly hard, as they cover a quarter of the costs of the healthcare system directly. The Social Democrats’ initiative is aimed at helping them. What does the initiative propose? Both the federal government and the cantons already ...