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A young woman tells how she suffered from health insurance debt. Parents should now remain responsible.
After Kim Ott came of age, the mailbox began to fill with unwanted mail. “Suddenly I received a lot of letters,” she remembers shortly after her 18th birthday. The letters came from the debt collection office, containing numerous invoices.
The 18-year-old was blown away: her mother had never told her that she had not paid Kim’s health insurance bills and had therefore accumulated debts.
Legend:
If parents’ health insurance debts are passed on to the 18-year-old, this can lead to an enormous burden.
Keystone/Archive/CHRISTIAN BEUTLER
Kim Ott’s mother had accumulated over 3,000 francs in debt because she had not paid some of her daughter’s premiums and other bills. When she turned 18, the debts were transferred to her daughter. The young woman says she was disappointed in her mother, who didn’t take her seriously and didn’t help her. She finally found help from the youth counseling service at Juar Basel youth work.
“I couldn’t sleep at night because I felt so bad,” remembers the now 21-year-old woman. The thought of debt dominated her life. The 3,000 francs were a lot of money for the intern at the time.
Today, young people who turn 18 are said to be doing better than Kim Ott. The Federal Council has ensured this with a change in the law. Parents should now remain responsible for the health insurance debts that they have caused for their children.
The innovation only applies to those who will turn 18 from 2024.
Christoph Walter from Youth Work Basel welcomes this. But he is not entirely satisfied and would like the change to be expanded: “We would clearly like to take young adults up to 25 into account.” That would be a great wish for politicians, says Walter. He explains that it is important to avoid young adults falling into debt through no fault of their own.
The Federal Office of Public Health, which is responsible for changing the law, understands this wish. They tried to improve the situation for young people as much as possible. Unfortunately, expansion is not possible, explains media spokeswoman Gabriela Giacometti. “On the one hand, this is due to the implementation. You cannot subsequently declare ongoing debt collection operations to be incorrect or invalid. And on the other hand, laws always apply to the future,” says Giacometti. In this specific case, that means: The innovation only applies to those who will turn 18 from 2024.
Debt makes it impossible to change health insurance
This does not help young people who have inherited their parents’ debts in the past. Debt can be a huge burden for those affected. Because: An entry in the debt collection register can cause major problems when looking for an apartment, for example. Or health insurance debts can make it impossible to change health insurance companies.
Kim Ott’s example also shows that it is possible to get out of the debt trap. With the help of youth advice, Ott created a budget, repaid her debts and applied for a premium reduction. Today she works in a cinema and wants to start studying in the autumn. It’s clear to her: “I never want to be in debt again.” She has now learned to keep her finances under control, pay her bills every month and also put some money aside.