Does Swiss health insurance pay for a hearing aid?

What basic health insurance pays

A hearing aid is one of the aids and appliances. In principle, basic health insurance reimburses aids and appliances on a doctor’s prescription (Art. 25 para. 2 let. b of the Federal Health Insurance Act, KVG). For hearing aids, however, it is only the last in a line: the Aids and Appliances List (MiGeL, item 13.01, edition of 01.07.2026) states that hearing aids and batteries are in principle reimbursed under the rules of old-age, invalidity or accident insurance. Basic health insurance only pays if you do not meet the conditions of these social insurances, and then also pays according to the rules of old-age and invalidity insurance.

Sources: Annex no. 5.07 and 5.07.3 HVI, Annex no. 5.57 HVA, Art. 11 UVG, MiGeL item 13.01. The IV entitlement ends at the latest with the month in which you reach the reference age (Art. 10 para. 3 of the Federal Act on Invalidity Insurance, IVG). If you already received hearing aids from invalidity insurance before then, you keep that entitlement in type and scope as long as the conditions are met (Art. 4 HVA).

Invalidity insurance also pays a battery flat rate of CHF 40 (one device) or CHF 80 (two devices) per calendar year, for children under 18 CHF 60 or CHF 120 (Annex no. 5.07.3 HVI), and from the second year of use repair flat rates of CHF 200 for electronic damage and CHF 130 for other damage. Old-age insurance only covers the device. If basic health insurance is exceptionally responsible, it reimburses batteries up to CHF 60.22 or CHF 120.45 per year (MiGeL 13.01.01.01.1 and 13.01.01.02.1). Separate rules apply to implanted and bone-anchored hearing aids (Annex no. 5.07.1 HVI).

Regardless of this, basic health insurance pays for the medical assessment by the ear specialist: it is a normal medical service, with deductible and retention fee.

Flat rate instead of invoice

Invalidity and old-age insurance pay a fixed amount, not the actual costs. The flat rate is paid out on presentation of the full invoice amount and the receipts, and the device must meet the insurance’s requirements; the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) keeps a list for this (Annex no. 5.07 HVI). If your device costs more, you pay the difference, unless a supplementary insurance or supplementary benefits step in.

What supplementary insurance pays

A voluntary supplementary outpatient insurance can pay towards the part that invalidity insurance, old-age insurance or basic health insurance does not cover. It is governed by the Insurance Contract Act (ICA); the law does not prescribe any contribution towards hearing aids. Each insurer sets out in its general terms and conditions:

• whether hearing aids are covered by the product’s aids and appliances at all,
• how high the contribution is, often as a percentage of the remaining costs or as a fixed amount,
• at what interval it pays, for example once in several calendar years,
• whether it first requires the decision of invalidity or old-age insurance.

A supplementary insurance checks your state of health when you take it out and can exclude existing hearing loss with a reservation. If you only want to take out supplementary insurance once you need a hearing aid, you will therefore often get no contribution for this condition. We are building a comparison of supplementary products under Supplementary insurance; what happens to existing supplementary insurance in old age is explained in the article Supplementary insurance from 60. What always counts are the general terms and conditions and the information from your insurer.

Conditions

• Medical findings: An ear specialist establishes the hearing loss. Without findings, there is no flat rate from either invalidity or old-age insurance.
• Significant improvement: The device must significantly improve your hearing so that you can communicate considerably better with your surroundings (Annex no. 5.07 HVI). Old-age insurance also requires severe hearing loss (Annex no. 5.57 HVA).
• Registering in the right place: Before retirement age, you register with invalidity insurance. At retirement age, you submit the registration to the compensation office that pays your old-age pension; the IV office checks the entitlement (Art. 6 HVA).
• Approved device and specialist: The flat rate only applies to devices that meet the insurance’s requirements. Hearing aids must be supplied by specialists; for children, the reimbursement goes directly to approved paediatric audiologists.
• Accident insurance first: If the hearing loss is due to an accident, report the case to accident insurance. Employees who work at least 8 hours a week for one employer are also insured against non-work-related accidents (Art. 13 of the Ordinance on Accident Insurance, UVV). Only then may you suspend the accident cover of your health insurance (Art. 8 KVG); the calculation for this is done by Exclude accident cover.
• Deductible and retention fee: No health insurance co-payment applies to the flat rates of invalidity and old-age insurance. If basic health insurance exceptionally pays, the deductible and a 10 % retention fee apply as for any benefit.

Sample calculation

Example with fictitious people, an assumed device price and an assumed contract contribution from the supplementary insurance. Rosa, 71, has severe hearing loss and receives an old-age pension. She buys two hearing aids for an assumed CHF 3,600. According to the contract example, her supplementary outpatient insurance pays 50 % of the remaining costs, at most CHF 500 in five years. The flat rates come from Annex no. 5.07 HVI and 5.57 HVA.

In both cases, basic health insurance pays nothing towards the device, because old-age and invalidity insurance are responsible. It still matters for Rosa: the assessment by the ear specialist is paid through it. What the same basic health insurance costs at other insurers is shown in the premium calculator; key figures and the supplementary offers of the insurers are in the health insurer profiles.

How to proceed

1. Get findings: Have your hearing assessed by an ear specialist.
2. Clarify responsibility: The result of an accident? Then accident insurance. Before retirement age: invalidity insurance. At retirement age: old-age insurance via the compensation office. Only if none of them is responsible, the health insurer.
3. Register before you buy: Submit the registration and wait for the decision.
4. Compare quotes: The flat rate is fixed. Ask the audiologist about devices that are entirely or largely within the flat rate.
5. Submit the invoice: Submit the full invoice with receipts to the responsible insurance, then the remaining amount to your supplementary insurance and, if you receive them, to the supplementary benefits office.
6. Note the date: The next flat rate is available after six years (invalidity insurance) or five years (old-age insurance) at the earliest.

Common mistakes

• Submitting the hearing aid to the health insurer first. Invalidity, old-age or accident insurance is responsible; basic health insurance only if none of them pays.
• Confusing the flat rate with full cost coverage. Invalidity and old-age insurance pay fixed amounts, regardless of the price.
• Replacing too early. Before the period has expired, there is only a new flat rate if your hearing has changed significantly.
• Taking out supplementary insurance too late. The insurer can exclude known hearing loss with a reservation.
• Forgetting accident insurance after an accident. If the hearing loss is the result of an accident, the accident insurance list of aids applies.

Other aids and appliances such as rollators or walking sticks are covered on the page Rollator and other aids. You will find an overview of all benefits under What does health insurance cover?.