Significant increase in health insurance premium reductions

CHF 64.5 million will be available for the health insurance premium reduction in Zug in 2020. That’s CHF 5.6 million more than in the previous year. Income ceilings will also be raised by CHF 10,000.

The upper income limit for the premium reduction is currently around CHF 80,000. For a family of four, this generally corresponds to gross income of over CHF 100,000 (depending on the individual tax factors), according to the media release by the Zug Health Directorate. Around 6,000 people - especially those in households with children - would benefit from the improvement, either by now receiving a premium reduction or being able to count on higher reduction, the release said. The canton of Zug largely bears the costs itself: it provides CHF 5.4 million of the necessary funds, with only CHF 0.2 million coming from the federal government.

The canton of Zug not only offers good framework conditions for the economy, but also for the population, emphasizes the cantonal health department in its release. This is clearly shown by the example of health insurance premium reductions - in no canton is the effect of the premium reduction better than in Zug - especially for families and some of the middle class. “A strong business location is necessary for the funding,” health director Martin Pfister is quoted in the communiqué, “but the economy also needs the backing of the population. This balance is crucial.”

As the income cap increases, so will the number of applications for premium reduction. These are processed by the Ausgleichskasse Zug (compensation office). Director Rolf Lindenmann is confident: “The additional volume is planned. Our primary goal is and remains the correct and timely payment of contributions. The information letters are already being sent.”

Individuals who are likely to be entitled to a premium reduction will be contacted personally, writes the Health Department. Households with missing tax figures will also receive the relevant documents, and application forms are also available directly from the responsible municipal offices or on the Internet. The completed forms must be submitted to the municipality by April 30, 2020, otherwise you will not receive a premium reduction.

The decisive factors for calculating the entitlement are usually the personal circumstances on January 1, 2020 and the definitive tax assessment for 2018. The contributions are transferred directly to the respective health insurance company, to be offset against the premiums. Everything worth knowing can be found on the website of the Ausgleichskasse in Zug under the heading “Prämienverbilligung (Premium Reduction)”. There is also the option of provisionally calculating the individual discount claim online. Last but not least, a telephone hotline can provide answers to all questions relating to the topic (phone 041 560 48 48).