Supplementary insurance: what makes sense and what does not

Basic and supplementary insurance: two different worlds

Basic health insurance under the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) is compulsory and the same with every insurer. Supplementary insurance is voluntary and a private contract under the Insurance Contract Act (ICA). Almost every question about supplementary insurance can be answered if you keep these two sets of rules apart.

One rule links both worlds: no supplementary insurance may cover the deductible, retention fee or hospital contribution of basic health insurance (Art. 64 para. 8 KVG). If you have supplementary insurance, you therefore still pay the co-payment of basic health insurance yourself.

This topic area follows the path through a contract: clarifying your needs, comparing products, applying, using the cover in hospital or abroad, adjusting it or cancelling. There is an in-depth article for each step.

Which supplementary insurance do I really need?

None is compulsory, and none makes sense for everyone. Basic health insurance pays for every medically necessary treatment provided for by the KVG, including a stay in the general ward of a hospital on a Hospital List anywhere in Switzerland (Art. 25 para. 2 let. e and Art. 41 para. 1bis KVG). Supplementary insurance is only worthwhile for gaps that you do not want to or cannot pay for yourself.

The typical gaps in basic health insurance:

What a specific product pays is determined solely by the contract. Before you sign, the insurer must inform you about the scope, premium and term (Art. 3 ICA). The general terms and conditions of insurance (GTC) and the information provided by the insurer are decisive.

How to find your own gaps and which building blocks exist is shown in the article Which supplementary insurance do I really need?. How to compare outpatient products for glasses, fitness and complementary medicine by maximum amount, percentage, period and recognition rules is explained in Glasses, fitness, complementary medicine: which supplementary insurance pays for what?. We are building a structured comparison of supplementary products under Supplementary insurance.

Semi-private, private or flexible: what does supplementary hospital insurance offer?

More comfort and more choice, not better medicine. Medically necessary treatment is covered in the general ward. The semi-private ward usually means a two-bed room and a choice of doctor, the private ward a single room. For semi-private and private patients, too, the canton and basic health insurance pay the flat rate per case; supplementary insurance only pays for the additional services (Art. 49a KVG). Even with semi-private cover, you pay the deductible, the retention fee and the hospital contribution of CHF 15 per day (Art. 104 KVV) yourself.

In 2020, FINMA criticised non-transparent and in some cases unjustified invoices in supplementary hospital insurance; according to its press release of 16.01.2025, prices for semi-private and private stays have since stagnated for the most part. Whether the premium is worth it depends on how much the room and choice of doctor are worth to you and whether you would be accepted again after cancelling. The weighing-up with figures is in Semi-private or private: is it still worth it?.

An intermediate solution is flex hospital insurance: you only decide before admission whether you stay in the general, semi-private or private ward, and you pay a co-payment for the higher ward. What the models of two insurers look like in practice and where cost approval becomes important is explained in Flex hospital insurance: choosing the ward only once in hospital.

If your insurer has no contract with a hospital, a contractless situation arises. In basic health insurance, tariff protection protects you: the hospital may not charge more than the tariff for services under the KVG (Art. 44 para. 1 KVG). In supplementary insurance, according to FINMA, cover continues regardless of the contract, but the invoice may be higher than the insurer’s contribution. What to clarify before a planned procedure is set out in Contractless situation.

What do I have to state in the application?

Every question that the insurer asks in writing, truthfully and completely. Under Art. 4 para. 1 ICA, you must disclose all significant facts asked about that you know or ought to know. Health questions only exist in supplementary insurance, never in basic health insurance. Based on your answers, the insurer may accept you, add a reservation for certain illnesses or reject you.

If you conceal a significant fact you were asked about, the insurer may terminate the contract within 4 weeks of finding out. Benefits are then not paid for cases related to the concealed fact (Art. 6 para. 2 and 3 ICA). What exactly counts as significant, in which cases the insurer may not terminate despite incorrect information and how to proceed with unclear questions is explained in Health questions in the application: duty of disclosure, reservation, rejection.

A common uncertainty concerns past psychological treatment. You must disclose a completed course of psychotherapy if the question covers it; acceptance is often still possible, sometimes with a reservation. How insurers deal with this and what basic health insurance continues to pay regardless is set out in Previously in therapy: can I still get supplementary insurance?.

After submitting the application, you have 14 days to withdraw it without giving reasons, by letter or email (Art. 2a ICA). This is the most important safeguard if an intermediary sold you a contract by phone or at the door that you did not want. Once the deadline has passed, other routes remain: cancellation because of missing information, challenging the contract for deception, or ordinary notice. The procedure with deadlines is shown in Unwanted supplementary insurance through an intermediary: how to get out.

How do I cancel supplementary insurance without losing cover?

First the new insurer’s acceptance, then the cancellation. By law, you can cancel at the end of the third or any later contract year, with 3 months’ notice, by letter or in another form that allows proof by text (Art. 35a para. 1 ICA). Shorter terms apply if the policy or GTC provide for them (Art. 35a para. 2 ICA). If your contract runs by calendar year, notice for the end of 2026 must arrive by 30.09.2026. After a claim, you can cancel at the latest when the benefit is paid out; cover then ends 14 days after your notification (Art. 42 ICA).

The insurer itself may not cancel your supplementary health insurance, neither by ordinary notice nor after a claim (Art. 35a para. 4 ICA). An existing contract is therefore an asset you should not give up lightly: a new insurer may ask health questions again and reject you. The steps, the notice periods for each type of contract and a sample procedure are in Cancelling supplementary insurance without losing cover. You can create the cancellation letter with the cancellation letter generator, and the deadline calculator shows your insurer’s deadlines.

If the premium rises, the law gives you no special right to cancel; whether you may cancel in response to the new premium is set out in your GTC. FINMA must approve new premium rates in supplementary health insurance before they are applied (Art. 38 ISA). What to check in the event of an increase and what rights you have if an insurer closes your product portfolio is explained in Premium increase in supplementary insurance: your cancellation rights.

Do I need supplementary insurance for travel?

For emergencies, basic health insurance covers you worldwide, but not in full. It pays for treatment in emergencies during a temporary stay abroad if returning home is not appropriate (Art. 36 para. 2 KVV). In the EU, EFTA and the United Kingdom, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gets you treated like a local. Elsewhere, basic health insurance pays at most twice what the treatment would cost in Switzerland (Art. 36 para. 4 KVV). In countries with high hospital prices, a large remainder can be left over.

Basic health insurance does not pay for repatriation to Switzerland. These gaps are covered by travel insurance or supplementary insurance with cover abroad. Which benefits apply abroad and how to check before a trip whether your cover is sufficient is set out in Ill abroad and on holiday.

Switching basic health insurance, keeping supplementary insurance

Basic and supplementary insurance may be with different insurers. If you switch your basic health insurance, your previous insurer may not cancel your supplementary insurance for that reason (Art. 7 para. 8 KVG). For the annual premium round, this means you can choose the cheaper basic health insurance and leave your supplementary insurance where it is. This is often the safest solution, because the supplementary contract continues without a new health assessment. Discounts for combined contracts with the same insurer are a matter of contract; check in the GTC whether they lapse if your basic health insurance moves elsewhere. You can compare basic health insurance premiums in the premium calculator and insurers’ key figures in the health insurer profiles.

Common mistakes

• Cancelling first, then looking for a new contract. If the new insurer rejects you or adds a reservation, you are left without cover. The order is always: application, written acceptance, then cancellation.
• “Forgetting” a health question. Even a minor treatment that is asked about belongs in the application. If the insurer finds out later, it may terminate the contract and refuse benefits for related cases.
• Expecting the supplementary policy to pay the deductible and retention fee. Art. 64 para. 8 KVG prohibits this. The co-payment of basic health insurance stays with you, even with semi-private or private cover.
• Letting the withdrawal period expire. After talking to an intermediary, you have 14 days. A short letter or an email is enough; what matters is that you send it by the last day.
• Cancelling the supplementary policy because you are switching basic health insurance. This is not necessary, and a new supplementary contract requires health questions again.

Where to start?

1. Write down your gaps: what would you not want to pay for yourself: hospital comfort, teeth, glasses, therapies, travel? Read Which supplementary insurance do I really need?.
2. Check existing contracts: find your policy and GTC, and note the term, notice period and premium trend. Only give up an existing contract once a new one has been confirmed in writing.
3. Compare products: put benefits side by side by maximum amount, percentage, period and recognition rules (Comparing supplementary insurance).
4. Fill in the application carefully: answer every health question truthfully, consult medical reports if in doubt, keep a copy of the application (Health questions in the application).
5. Only then cancel: once you have the new insurer’s acceptance, cancel the old contract on time (Cancelling supplementary insurance).

If you would like a personal assessment of a supplementary insurance policy, you can request advice. This is voluntary; all the information on this page is available to you without providing contact details.