Right-wingers want to limit immigrants’ access to healthcare; Switzerland ranks below average in an international expat survey; and more news in our Thursday roundup.
Right-wing party wants to reduce immigrants’ access to Switzerland’s healthcare scheme
The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) proposed age-related health exemptions for foreigners arriving in Switzerland.
“EU immigrants benefit from our healthcare system from their first day in Switzerland without ever having paid a single franc,” the party wrote on its website on Tuesday.
Its solution is to increase immigrants’ contribution to healthcare costs by introducing age-related deductibles for foreigners.
This deductible would be based on the age at which they enter the Swiss healthcare system.
“The older a person is at the time of their arrival in Switzerland, the higher their deductible should be,” the SVP said.
Switzerland is not a very appealing expat destination, survey reveals
The latest Expat Insider Survey released by InterNations on Tuesday places Switzerland in the 29th place (out of 46 countries) in terms of its attractiveness to foreign nationals.
The report notes that “the quality of life may be high in Switzerland, but expats continue to struggle with unaffordable housing and making local friends.”
While survey participants ranked Climate and Environment, as well as Safety and Security highly, Housing and Finding Friends categories scored poorly.
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Swiss Post resumes shipments of (some) packages to the US
On August 26th, the Swiss Post had stopped accepting shipments to the United States, following President Donald Trump’s executive order abolishing the exemption limit of $800 for goods imported into the USA .
However, from tomorrow, September 4th, “private individuals will able to send gift consignments of up to $100 (equivalent 80 francs) addressed exclusively to private individuals,” the Swiss Post said, adding that electronic devices or electronic data carriers cannot be included in packages.
Gifts with a value of more than $100 (80 francs) are still not permitted for the time being.
Express delivery with FedEx or Express Swiss Post remains the only option.
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Zurich authorities want to expand city’s public transport network
The municipal council sees public transport “as a central pillar of efficient and sustainable mobility” and wants to “increase public transport capacity in the city of Zurich and advance the expansion of key transport routes,” it said in a press release on Tuesday.
Specifically, the following new direct connections between the districts should be prioritised to relieve congestion in the city centre:
- Flur-/Gutstrasse tram (part of the outer ring)
- Bus connection via the tracks at Altstetten station as a precursor to the later tram connection (part of the outer ring)
- Hardplatz–Albisriederplatz tram (part of the inner ring)
- Optional additions: Second phase of Flur-/Gutstrasse to Altstetten station or Hubertus–Triemli tram
“These network elements are aligned with urban development,” authorities said. “They have a particularly strong impact on the large, densely populated areas in the west of the city.”
Such ambitious expansion would cost 450 million francs, so the proposal will be put to a referendum for voters’ approval.
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