Switzerland's system of compulsory individual health insurance, established by the Federal Health Insurance Law, known by its French initials LAMal and German initials KVG, which the Federal Council proposed in 1991 with the stated aims of strengthening solidarity through universal coverage and income-based subsidies, containing rising health costs, and expanding the guaranteed benefits basket. The Swiss Parliament passed the law in March 1994, voters approved it in a public referendum that August, and it entered into force on January 1, 1996, requiring every Swiss resident to purchase basic health insurance from a private insurer, with insurers mandated to accept any applicant regardless of health status and premiums set on a community-rated basis within each canton. The law achieved close to universal coverage and remains, since 1996, the most important piece of legislation governing Switzerland's health care system, though it has drawn continued criticism for failing to control the growth of health spending.
Facts
Sponsoring BodyRegulated under the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance (LAMal/KVG), with insurance premiums overseen by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) 1 Target PopulationAll persons residing in Switzerland 1 Geographic Scope Measured ResultsThe Federal Office of Public Health announced in September 2024 that health insurance premiums in Switzerland would rise by an average of 6 percent in 2025. 1 Program status (class) Classification
Program KindHealth Insurance or Financing Program 1 Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Healthcare in Switzerland
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Healthcare in Switzerland
WikipediaCoverage section, Compulsory coverage and costs
Since 1994, all Swiss residents are required by federal law to purchase basic health insurance, which covers a range of treatments detailed in the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance (German: Krankenversicherungsgesetz (KVG); French: la loi fédérale sur l'assurance-maladie (LAMal); Italian: legge federale sull'assicurazione malattie (LAMal)).
Lead section, second paragraph
Switzerland has universal health care, regulated by the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance.
Costs section, 2025 premium increase
In September 2024, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) announced that health insurance premiums in Switzerland would rise by an average of 6% in 2025.
Program classification, entity description sentence
Switzerland's system of compulsory individual health insurance, established by the Federal Health Insurance Law, known by its French initials LAMal and German initials KVG, which the Federal Council proposed in 1991 with the stated aims of strengthening solidarity through universal coverage and income-based subsidies, containing rising health costs, and expanding the guaranteed benefits basket.
Associated With: Health Systems and Policy, Text of the cited page
Switzerland has universal health care, regulated by the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance.
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