Health insurance for pensioners: how to compare properly

In retirement, the same rules apply as at 30

There is no special health insurer for pensioners. Basic health insurance treats all adults the same: every health insurer must accept you, without a health questionnaire and without an age limit (obligation to accept, Art. 5 let. i of the Health Insurance Supervision Act, KVAG). The benefits are the same with all health insurers (Art. 34 para. 1 of the Federal Health Insurance Act, KVG). And the premium does not depend on age: from 26, all adults with the same insurer, in the same model, with the same deductible and in the same place of residence pay the same amount (Art. 61 para. 1 and 3 KVG).

For you, this means: switching is just as possible in old age as at 30, and you lose no basic health insurance benefits when you do so. The worry that a new health insurer could reject you because of your age or your health is unfounded in basic health insurance. Supplementary insurance is different; more on that below.

What changes with retirement are your needs. Four levers determine the price:

Step by step: comparing health insurance as a pensioner

1. Get your current policy. Note the health insurer, model, deductible, accident cover yes or no and the new premium. Your insurer must notify you of next year’s premium at least two months in advance (Art. 7 para. 2 KVG), i.e. by the end of October.
2. Check your accident cover. If you are no longer employed, you need accident cover in basic health insurance. Only compare premiums “with accident cover”.
3. Look at your costs for the last two years. Your insurer’s statements of benefits show how much you paid yourself and how high the invoices were in total. You need this figure to choose your deductible.
4. Choose a model. Ask your GP practice with which health insurers it is listed as the first point of contact in the GP model.
5. Compare premiums. Enter your municipality, year of birth, deductible and “with accident cover” in the premium calculator. The premium comparison shows you all offers side by side.
6. Look at the health insurer. Key figures, reserves and contact options are in the health insurer profiles.
7. Cancel and register. Your notice of cancellation must reach your current insurer by Monday, 30.11.2026. Send it by registered mail in good time; you can create the letter with the sample cancellation letter. Register with the new insurer; it informs your current one, and only then does your old contract end (Art. 7 para. 5 KVG).

The rules for switching in detail

Deadlines

30.11.2026 is a Monday. What counts is receipt by the health insurer, not the postmark; so send your notice of cancellation by registered mail or A Mail Plus around 15 November at the latest. The deadline calculator works out all the dates for you.

What can block a switch

If you have not paid premiums or co-payments that are due, you can only switch once the arrears, including default interest and debt enforcement costs, have been paid in full (Art. 64a para. 6 KVG). Age, an illness or ongoing treatment, on the other hand, do not stop you.

Models with restricted choice

In the GP, HMO or telemedicine model, you undertake to go to a specific point of contact first; in return, the health insurer may reduce the premium (Art. 41 para. 4 KVG). The benefits stay the same. Before you switch, clarify two things: Is your current GP practice on the new insurer’s list? And how does the model handle referrals to specialists you see regularly? Both are set out in the model’s insurance conditions. The model finder shows which model suits your everyday life.

Invoices and reimbursement

Unless agreed otherwise, you owe the invoice to the doctor’s practice and get the money back from your health insurer (tiers garant, Art. 42 para. 1 KVG). Health insurers and service providers can agree that the insurer pays directly (tiers payant, Art. 42 para. 2 KVG); the service provider must then send you a copy of the invoice (Art. 42 para. 3 KVG). For a hospital stay, the health insurer always pays its share directly. How a health insurer bills and how you can reach it is a legitimate comparison criterion alongside the premium.

Figures: premiums 2026 for adults

Premiums 2026, adults, with accident cover, monthly premiums of all offers in the municipality; source FOPH. The values apply to a 65-year-old just as they do to a 30-year-old.

In Zurich, with a CHF 300 deductible, there is a difference of CHF 206.30 per month between the lowest and the highest offer, i.e. CHF 2,475.60 a year for the same statutory benefits. In Bern it is CHF 213.00 per month or CHF 2,556.00 a year.

The model also makes a difference. In Bern, in 2026, the median of the GP and HMO tariffs with a CHF 300 deductible was CHF 593.10, that of the standard model CHF 680.00 (adults, with accident cover; source FOPH). The difference of CHF 86.90 per month adds up to CHF 1,042.80 a year. The FOPH publishes next year’s premiums at the end of September; until they are released, we calculate with the 2026 premiums.

Sample calculation: deductible of CHF 300 or CHF 2,500?

Example with fictitious people. Rosa, 72, lives in Zurich and has basic health insurance with a CHF 2,500 deductible and accident cover. Her invoices over the last two years came to around CHF 2,000 per year. She compares the median offers from the table above.

With costs of CHF 2,000, Rosa is just above the break-even point; in this example the difference is CHF 16.80 a year. The calculation shows where the threshold lies; it is not a recommendation: only you know whether your costs will rise or fall next year. You can recalculate with your insurer’s premiums in the deductible calculator. Note the deadlines: a lower deductible must be notified by 30 November, a higher one by 31 December.

Special cases in retirement

Supplementary insurance

There is no obligation to accept in supplementary insurance. A new health insurer may ask about your health, add a reservation or reject you. So only switch your basic health insurance if you want to keep your supplementary insurance; your current insurer must continue it (Art. 7 para. 7 and 8 KVG). What to consider about supplementary insurance in old age is explained in the article Supplementary insurance from 60.

Premium subsidies and supplementary benefits

With a low pension income, you may be entitled to a premium subsidy or supplementary benefits. Each canton decides how the entitlement is calculated; you will find the rules under premium subsidies. How the two interact in retirement and why a low-cost health insurer still matters even with a subsidy is explained in the article Premium subsidies and supplementary benefits.

Nursing home and moving

Your place of residence determines your premium (Art. 61 para. 2 KVG). If you move to another municipality, the premium of your new place of residence applies; you do not have to switch health insurer for this, but you may do so on the usual dates. What health insurance pays in a nursing home is explained in the article Nursing home: what health insurance pays.

Common mistakes

• Only comparing “without accident cover”. Without an employer, you need accident cover; premiums without accident cover are not comparable for you.
• Never switching for fear of rejection. In basic health insurance, every health insurer must accept you, at any age.
• Cancelling your supplementary insurance along with your basic health insurance. In old age, you often only get new supplementary insurance after a health check.
• Switching models without checking the list. If your GP practice is not on the list, you have to change practice or risk reduced benefits under the model’s conditions.
• Posting your notice of cancellation on 30 November. It must be with the health insurer on that day, not at the post office.

You will find all topics relating to retirement in the Retirement and old age section and the procedure for switching on the page Switching health insurer. How we evaluate premiums is explained under How we calculate.