Saving trial costs the Canton of Lucerne, around 25 million Swiss francs

The Canton of Lucerne has to retroactively pay thousands of families to premium subsidies, because he had recognised according to the Federal court of 2017, the qualifying income was too low. The failed austerity experiment will cost him 25 million Swiss francs.

These additional costs relate to the repayments for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. In accordance with the legal costs of divider, the Canton and the municipalities to bear these in equal parts, such as the health and social Director Guido Graf said on Thursday before the media. The Canton corrected the upper limit according to the Federal court ruling for three years now, and from 54'000 to 78'154 Swiss francs. "We want to bring the implementation of the repayment as soon as possible on the stage," said Graf. "Accommodating and customer oriented."

According to count residents in need of interior and inhabitants of the Canton of Lucerne, which had filed in one or more years during this period, a request for a premium reduction for children and young adults in training and their input was rejected due to the limit of income of 54'000 Swiss francs in the year 2017 and 60'000 Swiss francs in the years 2018 and 2019, not to take any further steps.

The compensation office in the Canton check this rejected requests automatically and orienting the concerned persons. Any payment to the respective health insurance company.

Between 5000 to 10'000 households

Those that have been submitted, no request for these years, can make up for this. You can do this between 8. February and the 31. October do. The payment is made to the relevant health insurance Fund.

the refunds are repayments of repayments. 2017 had to refund the 7870 families back premiums, because these had been paid out in the course of the budget-free state temporarily and then reduced. Per year would now benefit between 5000 and 10'000 Swiss francs for households of the back payments, said Department Secretary Erwin Roos.

the count did not want to comment on the Federal court judgment politically. The social political significance of the premium reduction is underlined by the fact but. And: "It is a guiding decision for Switzerland." Clearly, it was not good for the Canton of what had happened. But he was happy to have the Federal court judgment. "Now we have something measurable in the Hand," said Graf.

Failed-saving measure

The Lucerne cantonal government had adapted in 2017 as a savings measure in response to the people rejected tax rate increase in the premiums regulation. He reduced the qualifying income to reduce the cost of health insurance premiums for families with children and young adults of 75'000 CHF 54'000 CHF.

border, This income is too low, noted the Federal judge, in your judgment, the SP of Lucerne published on Saturday. She had sought the court procedure.

the cantons enjoy a considerable decision-making freedom, noted the judge. However, even in respect of this autonomy is reflected in the income limit from 54'000 Swiss francs, will speak to the sense and spirit of Federal law, because only a vanishingly small part of the spectrum of the middle-income get the benefit of the premium reduction.

The Federal judge corrected, therefore, the judgment of the cantonal court, which had dismissed the complaint against the reduction last February.

Created: 31.01.2019, 15:00