Unternavigation

In social insurance, it is typical in Switzerland to have interdependence between public and private actors. Historically, many insurance funds, which emerged as organizations under private law, opposed government-provided social insurance. Since 1996, health insurance has been compulsory for the entire resident population, though the insurance funds which provide the coverage are often private institutions. The realm of old-age, survivors’, and disability insurance is more strongly governmentally-controlled. Government compensation funds administer the benefits for the old-age and survivors’, and disability, insurance schemes, as well as the earnings compensation scheme (for military or civilian service) and maternity allowances. They also receive the contributions for the unemployment insurance scheme. Both public and private equalization funds exist; as a rule, occupational pension schemes tend to be administered by private institutions.