Swiss Parliament Says No to Health Insurance for Foreign Inmates – Taxpayers Will Keep Paying

Foreign inmates in Swiss prisons will not be required to have health insurance. The Council of States – Switzerland's upper house of parliament – has rejected a proposal that would have extended mandatory coverage to prisoners without Swiss residency. For now, taxpayers will continue to cover their medical costs.

Currently, about one-third of Swiss prison inmates – approximately 2,300 people – are not required to have health insurance. Yet they are still entitled to medical care. The cantons bear these costs. But according to Karin Kayser-Frutschi, president of the Conference of Cantonal Justice Directors, it is often unclear who is responsible in specific cases and how costs should be processed. Different authorities – justice departments, health offices, social services – frequently end up sharing the bill. A uniform regulation under the Health Insurance Act would force all cantons to follow the same rules, she argued.

Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, the health minister, supported the proposal on behalf of the government. She tried to convince the Council of States that extending mandatory insurance to all inmates would ensure equal treatment for homeless prisoners, as required by the Swiss constitution. They would also pay their own premiums.

No one came to her aid. Even the left side of the chamber did not find it appropriate to speak in favor.

Center Party Councilor Brigitte Häberli-Koller laid out the arguments against the change. "These individuals are in Switzerland solely because of their imprisonment. They have neither the intention nor the prospect of settling here." Collecting premiums would be nearly impossible, she argued, because offenders without fixed Swiss residency would typically be insured for only a few months. "If premiums are not paid, it is virtually impossible for insurers to recover outstanding claims – especially if the person leaves Switzerland after serving their sentence."

The arguments convinced the center-right majority. Baume-Schneider suffered a clear defeat, though she first expressed regret over the lack of enthusiasm for the project. The Council of States rejected the mandatory health insurance for prisoners without Swiss residency in short order. The National Council – the lower house – will still have its say.

For now, the rule stands: foreign inmates do not need insurance. Taxpayers will keep paying. The cantons will keep arguing about who owes what. And the health insurers, who would have struggled to collect premiums from prisoners who leave the country, can breathe easy. The issue is not dead – the National Council will debate it next – but the signal from the upper house was unmistakable. Switzerland's prisons will not be turning into insurance collection agencies anytime soon.