At the end of September, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) will announce the cost of health insurance for next year.

However, consumer platform Bonus.ch has already crunched the numbers and published its findings on September 10th.

Unfortunately, the news is not good for Switzerland’s consumers.

After an average increase in health insurance premiums of 6.6 percent in 2023 and 7.8 percent in 2024, the hike is likely to be between 7 and 12 percent, the site reports.

The reason for this continuing upward trend is that health insurance premiums are determined by the cost of healthcare in general — which have been soaring in recent years.

“This estimate of a further sharp increase in health premiums for 2025 is explained by the fact that healthcare costs will continue to rise for the remainder of 2024,” Bonus explained. “After a fairly stable first quarter, the second quarter tipped the scales into the red with an increase of 7.5 percent across Switzerland.”

Over the first six months of the year, therefore, “healthcare costs went up by 5.1 percent, representing an increase of more than 1 billion francs compared to 2023.”

Why have healthcare costs been skyrocketing in recent years?

Covid pandemic is not the only cause of the sharp increase, though it certainly played its part.

There is a variety of other reasons as well, including better (and costlier) technology, the increase in medical consultations, outpatient hospital services, as well as the rising prices of medications.

READ ALSO: The medications that are more expensive in Switzerland from July

What about insurance premiums in your canton?

The averages cited by Bonus are national, but they could well be higher (or, if you are lucky, lower) in your place of residence.

That’s because the federal government regulates financing of the health system, ensures the quality of care, as well as safety of drugs and medical devices, and promotes research and training.

It also supervises dozens of private carriers to ensure that they comply with the federal health insurance law, which prohibits discrimination based on age or health status, withholding necessary treatments, and other provisions guaranteeing that every policyholder gets the same quality of care.

FOPH is also responsible for approving premiums.

Cantons, on the other hand, are responsible for designing health care policies on their territories, licensing medical providers, coordinating hospital services, and — yes — setting healthcare premiums.

That is why while premiums will go up throughout Switzerland, residents of some cantons will have to pay more for healthcare than their counterparts in others.

Based on the figures for the first half of 2024, residents of Jura, Vaud, Glarus, Neuchâtel, Ticino, and Zurich will pay premiums that exceed the national average, according to Bonus’ calculations.

READ ALSO: Why do Swiss healthcare premiums vary so much per canton? 

How reliable are these figures?

Bonus based its numbers on the database of SASIS, a platform for medical statistics Switzerland.

Usually, this particular platform is fairly accurate.

However, a somewhat better outlook for next year’s premiums comes from Verena Nold, director of SantéSuisse, an umbrella group for Swiss health insurance providers.

In a recent interview with Swiss media, she said that an increase of 5 percent is more realistic.