Health insurance
Premium reduction
According to Art. 24b of the Health Insurance Act, low-income insured persons are entitled to state premium reduction contributions. Since 2023, these support benefits from the state are no longer paid to the insured persons, but directly to the health insurance companies. The health insurance companies offset the support benefits against the health insurance premiums so that the people receiving support receive reduced premium bills. Previously, all eligible insured persons had to pay the full premiums and received the amount retrospectively on application through the premium reductions.
In the reporting year, 7,266 applications for premium reductions were submitted. Since 2024, it has been possible to apply via an online form. Compared to the previous year (6,575), the number of applications has risen again. As at February 5, 2025, there were 5,984 recipients of a premium reduction (previous year: 5,535).
Deferral of benefits for outstanding premium payments
If people do not pay their health insurance premiums, the health insurance companies can suspend their benefits in accordance with the Health Insurance Act (KVG) and impose a deferral of benefits. The persons concerned will not receive any cost coverage for healthcare services from the health insurance companies. Despite the easing of premium reductions, the number of insured persons who were excluded from health insurance benefits practically doubled between 2017 and 2023: according to the Health Insurance Association, 167 people were affected by benefit deferrals at the end of 2017, rising to around 320 people in 2023. However, the number of people affected fell again slightly in the reporting year. As at December 31, 2024, 253 people were still affected. However, this figure is based on an extrapolation by the health insurance association, as not all health insurance companies were able to provide corresponding statistics.
The OCR considers the deferral of benefits to be questionable in terms of human rights because the design of this measure does not differentiate between people who are unable to pay health insurance contributions due to their economic or health situation and those who - without existential or health restrictions - show no willingness or cooperation to pay contributions. The imposition of a deferral of benefits in the first case violates the right to health, which is protected in the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UN Covenant I).
Furthermore, it is incomprehensible that the full health insurance premium continues to be charged during the deferral of benefits, even though the person concerned is not entitled to any benefits during this period apart from emergency treatment. Finally, the VMR notes with concern that the definition of emergency treatment is not precise and that the goodwill regulations of the health insurers differ, which is contrary to the equal treatment of all persons. A clear implementation ordinance is therefore needed.
Revise the Ordinance to the Health Insurance Act (KVV) so that emergency treatments are defined and benefits not available during the deferral period are not counted as debts through full premiums.
Disability insurance
In summer 2020, the VMR commissioned a legal opinion on the compatibility of Liechtenstein's disability insurance legislation with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The opinion came to the conclusion that Liechtenstein's IV legislation is compliant with the ECHR in all points examined. However, the report points out that the method used to determine the degree of disability by comparing incomes only takes into account the loss of income and not the type or extent of the disability. This could lead to injustices and raise questions about the conclusiveness of the result. The VMR has held various discussions with the IV office, the IV case managers, the disability association and those affected. However, no systemic changes have been made to date.
