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Maximum 10 percent: The Basel Grand Council says yes to the cap on health insurance premiums - 2 Website Editor: Guest 2, what specific strategies can the government implement to ensure that the proposed cap on health insurance premiums does not lead to a decline in the quality of healthcare services delivered in Basel-Stadt?
Maximum 10 percent: The Basel Grand Council says yes to the cap on health insurance premiums
A motion in the Grand Council wants to limit health insurance premiums to 10 percent of the residents’ net income. The initiative finds a majority – despite the resistance of the government council.
Health insurance premiums are putting more and more strain on your wallet – especially in Basel-Stadt. In the city canton, the premiums now eat up an average of 17 percent of the residents’ disposable income. Now the government council must consider possible measures to reduce this value: to a maximum of 10 percent.
This number is stipulated in the motion “Relief of the premium burden in Basel-Stadt”, which the Grand Council passed yesterday – against the resistance of the bourgeois factions and the government. They warned of the financial consequences. Because everything above 10 percent would have to be taken over by the canton in the future.
The motion would “pretty much transform” the current system, warned Kaspar Sutter (SP), head of the Department of Economics, Social Affairs and the Environment, in his remarks. Basel-Stadt knows of an automatic mechanism according to which the premium reductions would increase in line with the increased health insurance premiums. And today we are already investing over 220 million francs per year in premium reductions. “That’s a remarkable amount,” said Sutter. The federal government only contributes 79 million francs of this.
The people of Basel have already said yes
The text of the proposal points out that Basel-Stadt voters want greater financial support for premiums. She made that clear last June. In fact, over 54 percent of Basel voters said yes to the national popular initiative “Maximum 10 percent of income for health insurance premiums”. However, the premium relief initiative was defeated by the Swiss electorate.
Kaspar Sutter pointed out that the popular initiative cannot be compared one-to-one with the motion. In the solution rejected in June, the federal government would have covered two-thirds of the additional costs, but in the approach proposed by the motion, none at all. “The price tag for Basel-Stadt,” said Sutter, “is now three times higher.”
16,000 households need support
Sutter could not deny that the premium burden in Basel-Stadt is indeed very high. On average, the canton provides over 3,000 francs per person entitled to a reduction per year – a record among all cantons. According to the initiative, around 16,000 households can now benefit from discounts – according to the SP, still too few.
The motion leader, SP Councilor Melanie Eberhard, said during the debate that she could only partially agree that the current system is good. Eberhard’s party colleague Leonie Bolz took the opportunity to advertise a unified fund. It could be used to cap the premiums: “Our canton could afford that.”
GLP votes ensure a majority
It sounded completely different from the right-wing side of the council. “We are already very generous when it comes to reducing premiums,” said Daniel Seiler from the FDP. His group therefore rejects the motion. Patricia von Falkenstein (LDP) said that we must ensure that our health system remains efficient: “We don’t just have to fight the symptoms, we have to address the root of the problems.”
The Green Liberals tipped the scales in the vote. Four of her seven group members said yes to the motion, three were against it. The final result was 49 yes votes versus 44 no votes, with one abstention.
The GLP’s many yes votes had already become apparent during the debate. “We have a problem,” said Tobias Christ. “The premium burden is far too high, especially for middle income earners.”
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Thank you for providing the information about the debate on health insurance premiums in Basel-Stadt. As a website editor, I would like to create a professional and informative interview to discuss this topic further.
Guest 1: Martin Müller, Head of the Department of Finance, Basel-Stadt
Guest 2: Ariane Rutishauser, Representative for Health, Basel-Stadt
Website Editor: Mr. Müller, as the head of the Department of Finance, what are your main concerns about the 10 percent cap on health insurance premiums for Basel-Stadt residents? How much of an impact will this have on the canton’s budget and healthcare system?
Guest 1: Our main concern is the financial impact this could have on the canton’s budget and healthcare system. The cost of providing premium relief is already significant, and capping premiums at 10 percent of residents’ net income would increase that cost significantly. It’s also important to note that the federal government doesn’t contribute to these costs, which means Basel-Stadt would be covering the full burden alone.
Website Editor: Ms. Rutishauser, as the representative for health, how do you respond to these concerns? Is it necessary to implement a maximum cap on health insurance premiums to ensure access to affordable healthcare for all residents?
Guest 2: Ensuring access to affordable healthcare is a fundamental right, and it’s essential that premium relief is put in place for those who need it. The popular initiative in June showed that Basel-Stadt residents are supportive of this notion, which is why we believe it’s necessary to implement this measure. While we understand the financial concerns raised by the Department of Finance, we believe the benefits outweigh the costs in terms of providing better health outcomes for our residents.
Website Editor: Guest 1, how do you propose addressing the premium burden in Basel-Stadt without implementing a 10 percent cap? Are there alternative measures you recommend?
Guest 1: We’re always looking for ways to reduce the premium burden without compromising the quality of healthcare services in the canton. One potential approach could be increasing the number of insured persons who are eligible for prem
