Published on January 22, 2025 at 6:40 p.m. / Modified on January 22, 2025 at 7:07 p.m.
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Pierre Maudet has always been fond of code names for his operations. It was “Valmy” in his quest for the Federal Council, or “Papyrus” for the regularization of undocumented immigrants. This time it’s time for the “Beluga” project, which does not refer to caviar, but to the cetacean, because the population judges that health insurance premiums are “enough”. “This peaceful mammal is capable of living in a hostile environment and wards off sharks,” explains the State Councilor in charge of Health in Geneva.
In fact, these qualities will be necessary to overcome the resistance of the Confederation, convince other cantons to rally behind it and the population to join it. This is, in summary, what David Hiler, former state councilor and president of the group of experts commissioned to study the feasibility of a public cantonal fund, concludes. Made public on Wednesday, its 40-page report, written in four months, begins with a well-known context. Health costs are exploding, from 37.5 billion francs in 1996 to 100 billion this year, and premiums are strangling households. In Geneva, 36% of policyholders benefit from subsidies, the bill for which reaches 712.9 million francs. The average premium has more than doubled since 1999, now standing at 713.40 francs. In short, the system is “out of breath”, summarizes Thierry Apothéloz, Minister of Social Cohesion.
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