Combating insurance fraud: Suva saves over 32 million francs
Insurance fraud harms honest companies and costs Switzerland millions of francs every year as a workplace. Suva consistently combats insurance abuse in all its forms and saved CHF 32.6 million last year.
"Our anti-abuse policy protects honest premium payers. That's why we have zero tolerance for insurance fraud," says Roger Bolt, Head of Combating Insurance Fraud BVM. The trend in fraud cases shows that Suva's active fight against abuse is more important than ever. In 2023, Suva scrutinized 2969 reports of suspected abuse. Suspicions were confirmed in 939 cases. This means that 16 percent more cases of fraud were registered in 2023 than in the previous year. In total, Suva was able to save CHF 32.6 million last year because it was able to uncover cases of abuse.
Insurance fraud harms honest businesses
Insurance fraud occurs when insured companies, accident victims or service providers evade insured premiums or deliberately draw insurance money wrongly. The damage in the millions is borne not only by the vast majority of honest premium payers, but also by the Swiss workplace and healthcare market.
"Insurance fraud is not a trivial offense. It harms all honest businesses and must be consistently prosecuted," says Mario Freda, Central President of the Swiss Painters' and Plasterers' Association. Companies that work illegally and therefore do not pay social security contributions and taxes offer services at a lower price than other providers. As a result, honest companies not only lose contracts, but also have to pay for the damage incurred due to higher premiums.
Suva systematically combats insurance fraud
At Suva, specialists are responsible for investigating suspected cases and systematically combating insurance abuse. Since the introduction of anti-abuse measures in 2007, over CHF 272 million has been saved.
Suva carries out regular company audits and looks closely at any anomalies. This enables it to detect abuse at an early stage. It only pays out if the insurance cover is correct and the circumstances of the accident have been clarified. If there are reasonable grounds for suspicion, Suva can also deploy insurance investigators as a last resort.
Source: SUVA
