Understanding health insurance, step by step.
Guides for the moments that matter: switching, saving, insuring your children, retiring, moving to Switzerland. Every statement with a source, every calculation traceable.
Switching health insurer
Everything about switching health insurer in one place: the key dates, the right cancellation letter, what happens to your supplementary insurance, when unpaid premiums or treatment affect a switch, and who earns money from it.
- Are there disadvantages to switching health insurer? What you lose and what you don’tWhat stays the same when you switch basic health insurance, where real disadvantages lurk and how to avoid them: supplementary insurance, model, family, debts, deadlines.Switching health insurer
- Cancel basic health insurance and keep your supplementary insuranceSwitching only your basic health insurance and keeping your supplementary insurance: the legal position, the procedure, the right wording in the letter and what changes in everyday life with two insurers.Switching health insurer
- Cancelling by email or registered mail? Rules for basic and supplementary insuranceEmail, customer portal, registered mail or A Mail Plus: what the law requires, what the health insurer accepts and how to prove in a dispute that your notice of cancellation arrived in time.Switching health insurer
- Cancelling health insurance: deadline, letter and procedureDeadline, content of the letter, sending it and registering with the new insurer: how to cancel basic health insurance correctly and keep supplementary insurance separate.Switching health insurer
- Double health insurance after switching: who pays, what to do?Two policies, two invoices, one insurance: which insurer is responsible in basic health insurance, who pays medical bills and how to resolve double supplementary insurance.Switching health insurer
- Finding the cheapest health insurer: comparing correctly in 5 stepsWhy there is no cheapest health insurer for everyone, which five details determine the price and how to find the cheapest insurer for you with real 2026 premiums.Switching health insurer
- Health insurance cold calls: the legal position and how to report themWhich rules apply to health insurance sales calls, what to say and not say on the phone and where to report a call, with a template for your notes.Switching health insurer
- Health insurance notice periods: 30 September, 30 November, 31 MarchWhich deadline applies to what: switching health insurer, deductible, model, bonus insurance and supplementary insurance, with key dates, weekdays and the rules for exceptions.Switching health insurer
- Intermediaries, brokers, comparison sites: who receives how much commissionWho earns money from a change of health insurer, how much the law allows and what duties intermediaries, brokers and comparison sites have, with a sample calculation and a list of questions.Switching health insurer
- Notice of cancellation arrived too late: what you can still do nowFirst check whether the notice of cancellation really was too late, then use the remaining options: the mid-year date, a higher deductible, a different model and the rules for a registration already made.Switching health insurer
- Premium increase: the checklist up to 30 NovemberThe premium letter has arrived. With this checklist, you check in seven steps whether to switch insurer or change your model or deductible, and you meet every deadline.Switching health insurer
- Switching during treatment: what happens to cost approvalsSwitching health insurer despite therapy, an operation or a special medicine: which insurer pays when, why you apply for cost approvals again and where supplementary insurance becomes a trap.Switching health insurer
- Unpaid premiums and debt enforcement: can I still switch health insurer?Unpaid premiums block a switch of health insurer. What applies from the reminder onwards, by when you have to pay, which exceptions exist and what debt enforcement and a certificate of unpaid debt mean.Switching health insurer
Understanding basic insurance
How compulsory health insurance works: what it pays for, how to check invoices and get money back, what you can do if your insurer refuses to pay, how the premium is set and which reforms are coming.
- Bill too high? How to check and dispute a doctor’s bill and a statement of benefitsDuplicate items, services you never received, a wrongly calculated deductible: how to find errors on a doctor’s bill, a copy of the invoice and a statement of benefits, and how to get them corrected.Understanding basic insurance
- Checking a TARDOC bill: tariff and outpatient flat rates with examplesMedical bills have looked different since 2026. How to recognise TARDOC and outpatient flat rates, convert tax points into francs and find mistakes before you pay for them through your deductible and retention fee.Understanding basic insurance
- Claim refused: your rights, objection and ombudspersonIf your insurer won’t pay, basic health insurance gives you a clear legal route: written decision, objection, insurance court. How to use it, which deadlines apply and what is different for supplementary insurance.Understanding basic insurance
- EFAS: what uniform financing changes for insured personsFrom 2028, uniform financing redistributes the costs of basic health insurance between the cantons and premium payers. What has been decided, what is still open and what you can do yourself.Understanding basic insurance
- Electronic health record (E-HR): opt-out, data protection, benefitsFrom the voluntary EPR to the automatic E-HR: what the bill provides, which rights you keep, what doctors and pharmacies would have to do and how far Parliament has got.Understanding basic insurance
- Emergency fee: what the planned fee for minor cases would meanWhat the planned emergency fee of at most CHF 50 would regulate, who would be exempt, how things will proceed in Parliament and what you pay in an emergency today.Understanding basic insurance
- Income-based premiums: initiatives, votes and what applies todayPer-capita premium or premium based on income: which proposals there were, how they turned out, what the counter-proposal has regulated since 2026 and how the premium burden is spread across different incomes today.Understanding basic insurance
- Medicines and generics: 40 % retention fee and case-by-case reimbursementList of Pharmaceutical Specialties, generics, differentiated retention fee and case-by-case reimbursement: what basic health insurance pays for medicines and how you avoid unnecessary costs.Understanding basic insurance
- Minimum deductible of CHF 400: what the bill provides and who it affectsThe planned increase of the minimum deductible to CHF 400: content of the bill, status of the procedure, additional costs in francs and who would be particularly affected.Understanding basic insurance
- Moving house and health insurance: new canton, new premium regionWhat to tell your health insurer when you move, how much the premium shifts between cantons and regions, and which dates apply for switching health insurer.Understanding basic insurance
- Reimbursement claim form: how to get your money back from your health insurerIf you pay the doctor’s bill yourself, you claim back the health insurer’s share with the reimbursement claim form. How to submit it, how the health insurer calculates, and what to do if nothing or too little comes back.Understanding basic insurance
- Single health insurance fund and public fund: votes, Geneva and VaudWhat a single health insurance fund would be, how the votes turned out, what the French-speaking cantons asked of Parliament and how far the projects in Geneva and Vaud have got. Neutral, with the official results.Understanding basic insurance
- Unemployed: what applies to your health insuranceBasic health insurance, accident cover, daily sickness allowance and premium subsidy: what changes when you lose your job, what you report and which deadlines apply.Understanding basic insurance
- What happens if my health insurer goes bankrupt?Insolvency fund, withdrawal of authorisation and switching: what happens to your basic health insurance, your outstanding bills and your supplementary insurance if your insurer becomes insolvent.Understanding basic insurance
- Who earns money from my premium? Administrative costs, reserves, salariesBenefits, administration, reserves, commissions and salaries: what happens to your premium, what the law allows health insurers to do and how to check your insurer’s figures yourself.Understanding basic insurance
- Why do health insurance premiums rise every year? The cost drivers explainedPremiums follow costs: which cost groups account for the most, why they grow, how the FOPH reviews premiums and why your own premium can rise differently from the average.Understanding basic insurance
Supplementary insurance
The supplementary insurance topic area: what it offers beyond basic health insurance, how the application, health questions and cancellation work, and which mistakes cost money or cover.
- Cancelling supplementary insurance without losing coverWhen you can cancel supplementary insurance, which special rights exist and in what order to proceed so that you do not risk a gap in cover.Supplementary insurance
- Flexible hospital insurance: choose your ward only when you go into hospitalFlexible hospital insurance postpones the choice of hospital ward until you actually need it. How CSS myFlex and Visana Spital Flex work, what you pay yourself in hospital and how to compare flex cover with fixed semi-private cover.Supplementary insurance
- Glasses, fitness, complementary medicine: which supplementary insurance pays for what?What basic health insurance covers for glasses, fitness and complementary medicine, where supplementary insurance comes in and how to compare products.Supplementary insurance
- Health questions in the application: duty of disclosure, reservation, rejectionHow to answer the health questions in the application correctly, what a reservation means, when the insurer may terminate the contract because of incorrect information and what rights you have.Supplementary insurance
- Ill abroad and on holiday: what health insurance coversHoliday, world trip or language stay: what basic health insurance covers abroad, which gaps remain and how travel health insurance closes them.Supplementary insurance
- No contract between hospital and health insurer: what it means for youWhat happens when a hospital and a health insurer cannot agree, what rights you have in basic and supplementary insurance and how to protect yourself before a planned admission.Supplementary insurance
- Premium increase in supplementary insurance: your cancellation rightsWhy supplementary premiums rise, who approves them, what cancellation rights you have and what options exist besides cancelling.Supplementary insurance
- Previously in therapy: can I still get supplementary insurance?Previous psychotherapy does not automatically rule out supplementary insurance. What you have to declare, how the insurer decides and why an existing contract is worth its weight in gold.Supplementary insurance
- Semi-private or private ward: is it still worth it?What semi-private and private really change in hospital, what basic health insurance already covers, how FINMA criticised the invoices and how to weigh up premium and benefit.Supplementary insurance
- Unwanted supplementary insurance through an intermediary: how to get outStuck with supplementary insurance you did not want after a meeting with an intermediary? The five ways out of the contract, their deadlines and how to use them in a way you can prove.Supplementary insurance
- Which supplementary insurance do I really need?First know the gaps in basic health insurance, then decide: which supplementary insurance closes which gap, how to compare premium and benefit, and which rules of the ICA apply.Supplementary insurance
Saving money
What health insurance really costs and which levers lower the bill: deductible, insurance model, accident cover, method of payment, premium subsidies and taxes, each with its deadline and legal basis.
- Applying for a premium subsidy: entitlement, deadlines and applicationCheck your entitlement, apply, meet the deadline: how to get a premium subsidy, with the 2026 application deadlines of several cantons and a sample calculation.Saving money
- Changing your deductible: deadlines and directionDown by 30 November, up by the end of December, always effective on 1 January: how to change your deductible, with or without switching health insurer.Saving money
- Deductible of 300 or 2,500? How to find the right oneHow to decide between a CHF 300 and a CHF 2,500 deductible: break-even point, method of calculation with real 2026 premiums, worst case and deadlines for changing.Saving money
- Deducting health insurance premiums from your taxes: how it worksWhere the premium belongs in your tax return, which maximum amounts the Confederation and the canton of Zurich allow, how you deduct premium subsidies and what a family can really deduct in 2026.Saving money
- Deducting medical expenses from tax: deductible, retention fee, dentistWhich self-paid healthcare costs belong in your tax return, how the 5 % threshold works and why a high deductible affects the deduction.Saving money
- Excluding accident cover: when you may do it and what it savesIf your employer insures you against accidents, you pay twice for the accident cover in your health insurance. How to exclude it, how much it saves and what you must report when your job ends.Saving money
- GP model: what happens if you go straight to a specialist?Going to a specialist without a referral can be expensive: what the law allows the insurer to do, what the rules provide, which exceptions apply and how to go about it correctly.Saving money
- GP, HMO, telemedicine, pharmacy: which insurance model suits you?Four routes to the same basic health insurance: what the GP, HMO, telemedicine and pharmacy models require, what they save in 2026 and how you get in and out again.Saving money
- Is a mid-range deductible between CHF 500 and CHF 2,000 worth it?Deductible and retention fee worked through level by level: the cost calculation almost always favours CHF 300 or CHF 2,500, while the middle buys you security against an expensive year.Saving money
- Paying your premium annually instead of monthly: which insurers give a discountWith some insurers, annual payment saves 0.5 % to 2 % of the premium. What four insurers state, how much that is in francs and why comparing insurers usually brings more.Saving money
- Premium caps: which cantons limit the premium burdenWhat a cantonal premium cap is, which cantons name a percentage in 2026 and why the cap usually applies to a reference premium and not to your own premium.Saving money
- Premium subsidies reformed: what the counter-proposal changes from 2026The indirect counter-proposal to the Premium Relief Initiative obliges the cantons to provide a minimum budget. The rules, the 2026 figures and what you can make of them.Saving money
- Repaying a premium subsidy: when it happensThe most common reasons for a repayment claim, the procedure using Zurich as an example, your rights against the decision and how to avoid a repayment.Saving money
- Rules of managed care models: how to avoid benefit cutsFirst point of contact, referral, reporting emergencies: the rules of the money-saving models, their disadvantages, what a breach costs and what you can do if your insurer refuses a bill.Saving money
- Telemedicine model: how the call before a doctor’s visit worksCall first, then see the doctor: the procedure in the telemedicine model step by step, the statutory rules on discounts and switching, and real 2026 premiums compared.Saving money
- What does health insurance really cost? Premium plus deductible plus retention feeThe premium is only part of the bill. How to add the deductible, retention fee and hospital contribution, with three cost scenarios and real 2026 premiums.Saving money
Families and children
From pregnancy to braces: which deadlines apply, what basic health insurance pays for mother and child, where families can save on premiums and when supplementary insurance is worthwhile.
- Congenital disorders: when disability insurance pays instead of health insuranceWhere disability insurance ends and health insurance begins for congenital disorders, registering with disability insurance and what this means for the child’s premium and supplementary insurance.Families and children
- Dental insurance for children: from what age, and is it worth it?When basic health insurance and disability insurance pay at the children’s dentist, what dental insurance covers and how to work out premium and benefit over ten years.Families and children
- Giving birth: what hospital, midwife and postnatal care cost and who paysWho bears the costs of the birth, what is added during the postnatal period, when the child is covered by their own insurance and which extras you pay for yourself.Families and children
- Insuring your baby: register before the birth, step by stepBasic health insurance within 3 months of the birth, supplementary insurance ideally before: the procedure, the costs for your child and the most common mistakes.Families and children
- Insuring your family properly: the checklist for parentsAll the points parents need to keep an eye on with health insurance, arranged by stage of life and through the year, with deadlines, legal articles and a family calculation for Bern.Families and children
- Lowering child premiums: deductible, model and family discountWhich levers really lower the child premium, what a family discount means in basic health insurance and above which costs a CHF 0 child deductible is cheaper.Families and children
- Pregnant: which costs your health insurer coversWhat your health insurer pays from the first check-up to the postnatal period, when the deductible and retention fee no longer apply, and what to look out for with statements and supplementary insurance.Families and children
- Supplementary insurance for your child: which is worth it?Which gaps basic health insurance leaves for children, which modules of supplementary insurance close them and how to weigh up premium and benefit.Families and children
Young adults and students
At 19 the children’s premium ends, at 26 the adult premium begins. In between, you manage your health insurance yourself for the first time: deductible, model, accident cover, premium subsidy and what applies during studies, an apprenticeship and a year abroad.
- Apprenticeship and first job: accident cover through your employer, lower premiumsWhat your employer’s accident insurance covers during an apprenticeship and in your first job, how to exclude accident cover from your health insurance, how much that saves and what applies if you lose income.Young adults and students
- Health insurance for students: premium subsidy, exemption, deductibleWhat health insurance costs while you study, where you get relief, when an exemption is possible at all and how to get deductible, accident cover and residence right.Young adults and students
- Health insurance for young adults: how your premium changes at 19 and at 26Two premium jumps, both on 1 January: what changes at 19 and at 26 for the premium, deductible, retention fee and premium subsidy, and which deadlines you need to meet.Young adults and students
- Year abroad and language stay: keep or suspend your health insurance?Whether you stay insured during a year abroad depends on your residence. What basic health insurance pays abroad, where the gaps are and what applies if you really move away.Young adults and students
- Your first own health insurance: what you need to know from 18At 18 you become liable for the premium yourself, at 19 premium and deductible go up: what changes when, how to choose insurer, deductible and model, and which deadlines apply.Young adults and students
Retirement and old age
What changes in your health insurance when you retire and what does not: accident cover, premiums, supplementary insurance, premium subsidies and supplementary benefits, nursing homes and living abroad.
- Health insurance for pensioners: how to compare properlyWhy age plays no role in basic health insurance, which four levers determine the price and how to compare and switch step by step.Retirement and old age
- Nursing home: what health insurance pays and what you pay yourselfThe three cost blocks in a nursing home, the health insurer’s contributions by care level, your statutory maximum share and what supplementary benefits and the helplessness allowance cover.Retirement and old age
- Premium subsidies and supplementary benefits in retirementPremium subsidies and supplementary benefits for pensioners: entitlement, registration, 2026 amounts and how your choice of insurer interacts with supplementary benefits.Retirement and old age
- Retired: reinstating accident cover and reviewing supplementary insuranceWhat changes in your accident cover when you retire, what you need to report, what accident cover costs in 2026 and which supplementary insurance policies you should review.Retirement and old age
- Retiring abroad: which health insurance appliesWhere you move decides your health insurance: Swiss basic health insurance, the right of option or insurance in your new country of residence. With deadlines, premium rules and the most common mistakes.Retirement and old age
- Supplementary insurance from 60: keep, adjust or cancel?What is different about supplementary insurance in old age, how to check your contracts step by step and what rights the Insurance Contract Act gives you.Retirement and old age
New in Switzerland
Everything newcomers need to know about Swiss health insurance: obligation and deadline, costs, exemption, special cases and leaving the country, with links to the in-depth articles.
- Exemption from compulsory health insurance: who can applyWho does not need Swiss basic health insurance despite living in Switzerland, how the application for exemption works and why the decision is usually final.New in Switzerland
- Family reunification: insuring your partner and children in SwitzerlandWhat applies to health insurance when your partner and children join you: deadlines, children’s premiums, co-payment, premium subsidies and the special case of a family living in the EU.New in Switzerland
- International students: Swiss health insurance or exemption?Which health insurance applies when you study in Switzerland: the EHIC for EU students, exemption for students from other countries, and what happens if you take a side job.New in Switzerland
- Moving abroad: deregistering from your health insurer and avoiding gapsWhat happens to basic and supplementary insurance when you move abroad, which groups stay insured, how you avoid gaps and what applies if you return.New in Switzerland
- New in Switzerland: health insurance in three months, step by stepYour first three months in Switzerland: which deadline applies, how to choose insurer, deductible and model, what basic health insurance costs and how to avoid gaps.New in Switzerland
- Registered too late with a health insurer: surcharge and back paymentWhat joining late costs, how the premium surcharge is calculated, when it is reduced or waived and how to challenge an incorrect surcharge.New in Switzerland
- Short-term residents (L permit): which health insurance appliesL permit, notification procedure, seasonal job: which health insurance applies to short-term residents, when it starts and ends, and where exceptions are possible.New in Switzerland
- The Swiss health insurance system explainedThe Swiss system in ten minutes: who must be insured, what basic health insurance covers, how premiums and co-payments work and where supplementary insurance comes in.New in Switzerland
Cross-border commuters
Swiss KVG or insurance in your country of residence: who can choose, by when, what Swiss basic health insurance costs per country of residence in 2027, what applies to family, accidents and treatment, and what differs in Germany, France, Italy and Austria.
- Cross-border commuters from Austria: compulsory insurance and choiceCompulsory insurance in Switzerland, a choice in favour of Austria: how the exemption works, what ÖGK self-insurance has to do with it and what Swiss basic health insurance costs in 2027 for residence in Austria.Cross-border commuters
- Cross-border commuters from France: LAMal or the French systemLAMal or French social security: the right to choose for cross-border commuters from France, the procedure with the CPAM and the canton where you work, the 2027 LAMal premiums for residence in France and the most common mistakes.Cross-border commuters
- Cross-border commuters from Germany: Swiss KVG or statutory fund?Swiss KVG or insurance in Germany: the rules for cross-border commuters resident in Germany, the separate right of option for the family and the 2027 Swiss premiums for residence in Germany.Cross-border commuters
- Cross-border commuters from Italy: the new health taxThe “tassa sulla salute” affects old cross-border commuters with health insurance in Italy. Legal basis, amounts, the status in Lombardy and what it has to do with the Swiss Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG).Cross-border commuters
- Cross-border commuters: KVG or home country? The right of option explainedCountry of work or country of residence: who may choose, how the exemption application works, what Swiss basic health insurance costs cross-border commuters in 2027 and which mistakes cost you the right to choose.Cross-border commuters
- Families of cross-border commuters: insuring partners and childrenWho is insured with whom: the rules for partners and children of cross-border commuters from Germany, France, Italy and Austria, deadlines on marriage and birth, and the 2027 child premiums for residence abroad.Cross-border commuters
Self-employed and SMEs
What the self-employed and SMEs must insure themselves and what is voluntary: basic health insurance, accidents, daily sickness allowance, first employees and continued payment of salary during illness, with legal bases and deadlines.
- Accident insurance for the self-employed: voluntary UVG cover or health insurance?Two routes, one accident risk: what health insurance accident cover provides, what voluntary UVG insurance adds, who offers it and what to look out for in the contract.Self-employed and SMEs
- Becoming self-employed: getting health, accident and daily allowance insurance rightThe step into self-employment leaves gaps for accidents and loss of earnings. Which insurance to arrange when, what is compulsory and what is voluntary.Self-employed and SMEs
- Continued payment of salary during illness: what employers oweHow long your employer pays your salary when you are ill, when daily sickness allowance insurance takes its place and what SMEs and employees need to bear in mind.Self-employed and SMEs
- Daily sickness allowance for the self-employed: waiting period, amount, health questionsWithout an employer, nobody continues to pay your salary when you are ill. How to choose the form of insurance, the amount of the daily allowance and the waiting period, and how to answer the health questions correctly.Self-employed and SMEs
- First employee: accident insurance, sickness allowance and sick payWhat changes when your sole proprietorship becomes an employer: compulsory insurance, continued payment of salary during illness and the question of whether collective daily sickness allowance insurance makes sense.Self-employed and SMEs
What does health insurance pay for?
The overview of all benefits of basic health insurance: the basic rules, the conditions, the co-payment and 41 benefit pages from acupuncture to second opinion, organised by area.
- Cost approval: when your health insurer requires itMost benefits of basic health insurance need no prior approval. Where the ordinance requires approval, it must be obtained before treatment, otherwise you risk bearing the costs.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for a childbirth preparation course?CHF 150 from basic health insurance towards a course or consultation with a midwife, without co-payment. Courses by other providers and the remaining amount are covered, if at all, by supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for a second opinion?In basic health insurance, a second opinion is not a special benefit but a normal consultation. What matters are your insurance model and the co-payment.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for a termination of pregnancy?A termination of pregnancy that is not punishable is a compulsory benefit of basic health insurance. The normal co-payment applies; the health insurer may not require supplementary insurance or health information for it.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for acupuncture?Acupuncture by a physician with the ASA certificate of proficiency is a compulsory benefit of basic health insurance, with deductible and retention fee. Acupuncture by therapists without a medical degree is a matter for supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for ambulance transport and rescue?Basic health insurance only pays half of ambulance and rescue costs, with annual limits. The rest is borne by you, accident insurance or supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for braces?Most braces are paid for by parents themselves or by dental insurance. Disability insurance and basic health insurance only step in for congenital disorders and severe jaw misalignments.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for breastfeeding advice?Basic health insurance pays for three breastfeeding advice sessions in full, in addition to the midwife’s postnatal visits. Further sessions and a breastfeeding allowance are at most covered by supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for check-ups and preventive examinations?Only the prevention listed in the KLV is covered, with an age, interval or risk group. A check-up you ask for yourself is a matter for supplementary insurance or your own budget.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for complementary medicine?Basic health insurance pays for five methods practised by physicians, with deductible and retention fee. Osteopathy, naturopathy and other non-medical therapies belong in supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for laser eye surgery?Laser eye surgery for short- or long-sightedness is not a benefit of basic health insurance, except for severe anisometropia with contact lens intolerance. Contributions come, if at all, from supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for lymphatic drainage?In basic health insurance, lymphatic drainage is part of physiotherapy: with a prescription and from licensed physiotherapists. With other therapists, supplementary insurance decides under its general insurance conditions.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for nutritional advice?Basic health insurance only pays for nutritional advice for certain illnesses, on a physician’s order and with licensed professionals. You pay for advice on prevention or reaching a desired weight yourself or through supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for occupational therapy?With a doctor’s prescription, basic health insurance pays for occupational therapy, minus the deductible and retention fee. For congenital disorders up to age 20, invalidity insurance pays; after an accident, accident insurance pays.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for psychotherapy?Psychotherapy is a benefit of basic health insurance; with psychologists, it has been covered through the prescription model since 01.07.2022. What matters is the prescription, the number of sessions and the co-payment.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for rehabilitation?Medical rehabilitation is a compulsory benefit of basic health insurance, as an inpatient only in a clinic on the Hospital List. What you pay yourself and how to fight back if your health insurer refuses.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for spa treatment?For spa treatment, basic health insurance pays CHF 10 per day for at most 21 days. Recuperative stays and the rest of the costs are only covered by supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for speech therapy?Basic health insurance only pays for speech therapy for certain causes and with a physician’s prescription, minus the deductible and retention fee. Invalidity insurance does not pay for speech therapy; the cantons are responsible for support at school.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for Spitex home care?Basic health insurance pays hourly contributions towards nursing care at home, not towards cleaning, shopping or companionship. The rest of the nursing costs is shared between the canton, the municipality and you.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for sterilisation and vasectomy?Sterilisation for contraception is in principle a private matter. Basic health insurance only pays if there is a medical indication in the woman, and then also for the husband’s vasectomy.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for the dentist?In Switzerland, dental treatment is generally not part of basic health insurance. It only pays in an exhaustive list of cases; you bear everything else yourself, or dental insurance does.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for the pill and other contraceptives?Contraceptives are not a benefit of basic health insurance. Whether supplementary insurance contributes anything is set out solely in its general terms and conditions.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for the weight-loss injection?The List of Pharmaceutical Specialties sets out when a weight-loss injection is paid for: BMI thresholds, diet and nutritional advice, cost approval, checks after 16 weeks and 10 months, a maximum of 3 years. Online prescriptions do not meet the conditions.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for treatment abroad?Emergency on holiday, planned surgery in a neighbouring country, giving birth in your country of origin: what basic health insurance covers abroad, where its upper limits lie and what supplementary insurance adds.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does health insurance pay for your gym membership?Basic health insurance never pays for a gym membership. A contribution only comes from supplementary insurance, and a simple calculation shows whether it outweighs the premium.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for a breast pump?With a prescription and a medical reason, basic health insurance pays for renting or buying up to fixed maximum amounts. Up to 8 weeks after the birth without the deductible and retention fee.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for a colonoscopy?Screening from 50, diagnosis of symptoms, familial risk: basic health insurance pays for the colonoscopy in all three cases. How much you pay yourself depends on your canton and your deductible.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for a hearing aid?Hearing aids are paid through invalidity, old-age or accident insurance, with fixed flat rates. Basic health insurance only steps in if none of them pays; you, a supplementary insurance or supplementary benefits cover the rest.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for a mammogram?Screening from 50 in the cantonal programme without the deductible, monitoring at increased risk through a breast centre, investigation of a suspected condition as a benefit in the event of illness.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for a midwife?Basic health insurance pays for midwife services around the birth in full and without co-payment, within the figures in Art. 16 KLV. Anything beyond that is a matter for supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for a rollator and other aids?Basic health insurance only pays for aids and appliances from the MiGeL, and the only walking aids listed there are crutches. For a rollator, wheelchair or care bed, invalidity, old-age or accident insurance or supplementary benefits are responsible.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for chiropractic?Chiropractic is a benefit of basic health insurance, without a referral. What matters are the chiropractor’s admission, your insurance model and the deductible and retention fee.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for dental hygiene?As a rule, you pay for dental hygiene yourself. You only get a contribution from supplementary insurance, whose general terms and conditions set the rate, the limit and the number of sessions.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for glasses?Children up to 18 receive at most CHF 180.67 per year from basic health insurance, adults only in special cases. The rest is a matter for supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for household help?Nursing care yes, housework no: basic health insurance strictly separates nursing care from help in the household. For household help, only supplementary insurance, supplementary benefits or your own budget come into question.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for massage?“Recognised by health insurers” means two things: approved under the KVG for basic health insurance, or on your supplementary insurer’s list. That decides who pays for the massage.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for osteopathy?Osteopathy is a recognised health profession, but not a benefit of basic health insurance. It is only paid for through supplementary insurance, according to its conditions.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for physiotherapy?With a medical prescription, basic health insurance pays for physiotherapy, minus the deductible and retention fee. Without a prescription or for wellness, at most supplementary insurance pays.What does health insurance pay for?
- Does Swiss health insurance pay for podiatry?Since 01.01.2022, medical foot care for diabetes with risk factors has been a benefit of basic health insurance. You pay for all other treatment by a podiatrist yourself or through supplementary insurance.What does health insurance pay for?
- Therapists recognised by health insurers: what “recognised” meansApproval for basic health insurance is the same at all insurers. Recognition for supplementary insurance is set by each insurer itself, and it can differ from insurer to insurer.What does health insurance pay for?
- Which vaccinations does Swiss health insurance pay for?A vaccination is only covered by the insurer if it is on the list and indicated for you. Since 2026 without deductible, but with a 10 % retention fee.What does health insurance pay for?