Minimum deductible of CHF 400: what the bill provides and who it affects

What the bill on the minimum deductible provides

The standard deductible is the amount that adults in basic health insurance pay themselves per calendar year before the insurer covers costs. Today it is CHF 300 (Art. 103 para. 1 of the Health Insurance Ordinance, KVV). If you do not choose a higher deductible (Franchise), you automatically have this level.

On 13.03.2026, the Federal Council sent an amendment to the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) for consultation. It implements motion 24.3636 Friedli “Adapting the minimum deductible to actual circumstances”, which the Council of States adopted on 26.09.2024 and the National Council on 19.03.2025. The bill has two parts:

The increase itself is not in the text of the law: the Federal Council already sets the amount of the deductible by ordinance today (Art. 64 para. 3 KVG). The law would newly oblige it to raise the deductible when the threshold is not met. According to the explanatory report, it is raised by at least CHF 50 each time and rounded to the next multiple of CHF 50.

Status of the procedure (25.09.2026)

The bill is a draft, not law in force. This is how far it has got:

1. 13.03.2026: The Federal Council opens the consultation (FOPH, press release and documents).
2. 22.06.2026: The consultation closes. Cantons, parties and associations were able to submit their views.
3. As of 25.09.2026: Fedlex lists the procedure as “closed, awaiting opinions and/or results report”. A dispatch to Parliament has not yet been published.
4. Open: The Federal Council adopts the dispatch, then the National Council and the Council of States debate it. The law is subject to the optional referendum; the Federal Council decides when it enters into force.

In its forecast, the explanatory report assumes an increase to CHF 400 in 2029. This is a model assumption for the calculation, not an adopted date. We will update this page as soon as there is a new step in the procedure.

How the adjustment mechanism works

Today, the deductible is a fixed amount that the Federal Council adjusts from time to time: in 1996 it was CHF 150, from 1998 CHF 230 and since 2004 CHF 300. The mechanism is intended to link this adjustment to a key figure.

The key figure is the share of the co-payment of all insured persons (deductible, retention fee, hospital contribution) in the benefits of basic health insurance, excluding the cantons’ contributions (today their share of inpatient treatment, with uniform financing of outpatient and inpatient services (EFAS) from 2028 their contribution to all benefits). According to the report, this share was 13.5 % when the KVG came into force in 1996 and has fluctuated between 13.4 % and 13.9 % over the last ten years, with a downward trend. The reason: benefits rose from CHF 12 billion in 1996 to CHF 42 billion in 2024, while the deductible has stayed the same since 2004.

The process under the draft:

1. The FOPH establishes in the statistics on compulsory health insurance that the share has fallen below 13.5 %.
2. The Federal Council amends the ordinance so that the share is again between 13.5 and 14 %, and sends the amendment for consultation.
3. Insurers learn the new deductible before premiums are approved.
4. The new deductible applies from the following calendar year.

According to the report, there are at least three years between the threshold being undercut and the new deductible. Its model calculation shows a further increase after CHF 400 to a range of CHF 450 to CHF 550 in 2034. This, too, is a federal forecast, not a decision.

Who the CHF 400 minimum deductible affects

Adults and young adults with the standard deductible are affected. According to the explanatory report, in 2024 this was around 3.3 million adults or 45 %; 55 % had an optional deductible. The figures from the report:

In absolute numbers, the age groups 19–45, 46–65 and 66 and over, each with around 1.1 million people, are affected roughly equally. Proportionally, the increase affects older people more. The report notes that people with chronic illnesses usually choose the lowest deductible and generally use it up; they are therefore the most likely to bear the additional costs in full.

Children up to the age of 18 are not affected: no deductible is charged for them (Art. 64 para. 4 KVG). People with an optional deductible pay their deductible as before; for them, only the possible discount changes (see below).

What CHF 400 instead of CHF 300 means in francs

The co-payment consists of the deductible and a 10 % retention fee on the costs above it; for adults, the retention fee is capped at CHF 700 per year (Art. 64 para. 2 KVG, Art. 103 para. 2 KVV). The bill only changes the deductible. Calculated with these statutory values:

Your costs per year	today (CHF 300)	with CHF 400	Additional costs
CHF 250	CHF 250	CHF 250	CHF 0
CHF 400	CHF 310	CHF 400	CHF 90
CHF 3,000	CHF 570	CHF 660	CHF 90
CHF 7,400	CHF 1,000	CHF 1,100	CHF 100
CHF 20,000	CHF 1,000	CHF 1,100	CHF 100

If your costs are below CHF 300, you pay the same as today. With costs between CHF 400 and CHF 7,300, it is CHF 90 more, because no retention fee is charged on the additional CHF 100 of deductible. From CHF 7,400, the retention fee is used up in both cases, and the full difference of CHF 100 remains. The maximum co-payment therefore rises from CHF 1,000 to CHF 1,100 per year.

On the other side, premiums fall. The FOPH estimates that, based on 2023 data, the costs of basic health insurance with a CHF 400 deductible would have been CHF 282.1 million lower; this corresponds to an average premium reduction of 0.8 %.

Sample calculation: additional costs and premium reduction

Example with fictitious people. Ruth is 66 and lives in Zurich. She has the standard deductible and an offer at the median of the 2026 premiums: CHF 580.00 per month (2026 premiums, municipality of Zurich, region 1, born in 1960, CHF 300 deductible, with accident cover; source FOPH).

The calculation shows the order of magnitude, not a forecast: how much a particular insurer’s premium actually falls depends on its insured population and is open. The FOPH publishes the following year’s premiums at the end of September; they do not include a CHF 400 deductible as long as the bill is not in force.

Consequences for the optional deductibles

Under the bill, the deductible levels for adults remain at CHF 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 and 2,500 (Art. 93 para. 1 KVV). The new base level would be CHF 400 instead of CHF 300. This changes the discount: the premium reduction for a higher deductible may be at most 70 % of the additional risk taken on (Art. 95 para. 2bis KVV).

These are statutory upper limits; insurers may give a smaller discount. For the CHF 500 level, the gap to the standard deductible would be halved. Whether an optional deductible pays off for you is shown by comparing the premium with possible costs; how to calculate this is explained in the article Choosing your deductible.

Special cases: supplementary benefits, social assistance, premium subsidies

• Supplementary benefits: If you receive supplementary benefits, the deductible and retention fee are reimbursed to you as illness costs. According to the report, the additional expenditure for the cantons would be at most CHF 39 million per year (calculated with around 386,000 adult recipients of supplementary benefits, 2024 data).
• Social assistance: Under the guidelines of the Swiss Conference for Social Welfare (SKOS), the deductible and retention fee are part of the support budget; the report also expects higher expenditure there.
• Premium subsidies: The bill does not change premium subsidies. Whether you are entitled is regulated by your canton; you will find the overview under Premium subsidies.
• Insurance models: GP, HMO and telemedicine models are not covered by the bill. The deductible applies there in the same way; the model finder helps you work out which model fits your everyday life.

Common mistakes

• Treating the bill as law in force. As of 25.09.2026, nothing has been decided. The deductible is CHF 300 until a law enters into force.
• Changing your deductible now as a precaution. The bill is not a reason to switch. What counts are your expected costs and the premiums for the coming year.
• Assuming CHF 100 in additional costs for everyone. If your costs are below CHF 300, you do not pay more; between CHF 400 and CHF 7,300, you pay CHF 90 more.
• Thinking of the children’s deductible. There is still no standard deductible for children; the bill does not change this.
• Mixing up the deadlines. You can choose a higher deductible by 31 December, a lower one only with notice for the end of the year (Art. 94 KVV). The deadline calculator shows the dates.

How basic health insurance is financed and which further reforms are coming up is explained in the section Understanding basic insurance. The switch to uniform financing from 2028 is described in the article EFAS 2028, the second ongoing bill on co-payment in the article Emergency fee. You can compare your municipality’s 2026 premiums for each deductible in the premium calculator.