In Switzerland, some employees can lose their income overnight because they had an accident when they were a child or teenager. The Federal Council decided to correct this shortcoming in accident insurance last week after thirteen years of procrastination between Parliament and the government. This file arrived under the Dome in Bern at the beginning of the 2010s.
A father from Valais took steps because his son had had a bad fall while mountain biking even though he was not yet insured against professional accidents. Later, when he was an apprentice, the teenager had to miss work to have another operation. The accident insurance (LAA) had refused to grant him daily allowances (80% of salary) because the origin of his inability to work dated from a time when he was not yet contributing.
“If you have a relapse after you have had a job for several years, overnight you have nothing left! And the only mistake you made was falling off your bike when you were eight years old,” summarizes national advisor Philippe Nantermod (PLR/VS). The latter took up the torch of this legislative adaptation initiated by Christophe Darbellay in 2011. The current Valais state councilor had succeeded in having a motion accepted by the National Council, against the advice of the government.
The supporters of this reform denounced the influence of insurance companies which were reluctant to pay out. “It’s a way for insurance companies to kick in and not reimburse,” says Philippe Natermod who admits “that we had to fight” to win our case. The elected official thinks that the modification could come into force by the end of 2025. The additional costs will be borne by insurers and are estimated at 17 million per year, at most, specifies the Federal Council. A “very slight” adaptation of LAA premiums will be necessary.
