Le Matin. A company in the Swiss canton of Valais wants staff to clock out and back in again when they take smoking breaks. Under Swiss law the practice is perfectly legal and an increasing number of firms are implementing it, particularly in secondary industries such as manufacturing. According to Le Matin, Compagnie industrielle de […]
Cross-border workers can now choose between French and Swiss health insurance
Tribune de Genève. Those who work in Switzerland but live in France will soon be able to choose where they take out health insurance. In 2014, the French government made life difficult for many cross-border workers by removing the option of taking out private health insurance instead of paying into the French state health system. […]
Swiss health insurance premiums could rise 4 to 5 percent
24 Heures. Spokesperson Verena Nold from Santesuisse, an organisation representing many of Switzerland’s health insurers, told Swiss public radio last Friday that the organisation expects Swiss health insurance premiums to go up by a similar percentage in 2017 as they have in recent years. According to Ms Nold, people are going to the doctor more often, and […]
Swiss government wants vaccinations to be free from 2017
Le Matin. From 2017, all vaccinations covered by Switzerland’s compulsory health insurance could be free, even for those with a deductible. The extra costs have not yet been calculated and health insurers are concerned. Residents of Switzerland are required by law to take out basic health insurance. Individuals are free to choose their provider and […]
Swiss sleeping habits revealed
24 Heures. Among the residents of the industrialised nations included in a recent study on sleeping patterns, the Dutch came out on top, averaging 8 hours and 12 minutes of sleep each night. The shortest sleepers where the Japanese and Singaporeans who spent on average, 7 hours and 24 minutes sleeping a night. Swiss spend 7 […]
Swiss kids are eating too much of the wrong stuff
24 Heures. A recently released study shows how badly Swiss children are eating. Only 10% of those between 11 and 15 eat fruit and vegetables several times a day. And while fruit and vegetables are not popular, the survey carried out by Swiss Addiction, shows that sweet foods are. Close to one third of children […]
Sharp rise in assisted suicide in Switzerland
Le Matin. In 2015, the organisation Exit helped 213 people in French-speaking Switzerland die, 18% more than in 2014. In German-speaking Switzerland the figure was 782, 30% higher than the year before. Recently released statistics show the number has risen more than 12-fold since 2001 among French-speakers. This rise in suicide numbers is broadly in […]
Ticks active again in Switzerland
Le Matin. Tick season has started early this year. When the temperature reaches 7 degrees disease-carrying ticks spring back into action. Ticks spread nasty diseases such as Lyme disease and Tick-borne encephalitis. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Lyme disease, a bacterial infection, is common in Europe, where around 35,000 cases were reported in […]
Smoking – the big differences between Switzerland, Britain and the USA
Many anglophones new to Switzerland will have been struck by the high number of smokers. In fact the percentage of those who smoke is 68% higher than the United States. 28.2% of the Swiss population smoke, according to government figures for 2012. This compares to 19% of Brits and 16.8% of Americans. There are other big differences […]
Geneva’s Left wants 1% of salaries to pay for dentistry
20 Minutes. Geneva’s Ensemble à gauche and Socialist parties want to see compulsory dental care and presented a proposal to Geneva’s parliament in mid-February. On Monday Geneva’s labour party (Parti du travail) launched a cantonal initiative for the same thing. The plan would be funded by compulsory salary deductions of 1%. Half of this would be categorised as […]
