Telemedicine model: call or use the app first
In the telemedicine model you first call a telemedicine advice service or get in touch via an app before every doctor’s visit. The specialist advises you whether to treat yourself, see a doctor or go to hospital. In return the premium is lower than in the standard model. In Zurich in 2027, the median monthly premium for adults with a CHF 300 deductible in the telemedicine/digital model was CHF 597.05, and CHF 677.00 in the standard model (median, FOPH data).
How the Telemedicine model works
Telemedicine is basic health insurance with restricted choice of service provider (Art. 41 para. 4 KVG). The first point of contact is not a practice but an advice service by phone, app or chat.
The advice service recommends your next step, and you follow that recommendation. If you see a doctor without this contact, the insurer does not have to pay for the treatment, except in an emergency or where the insurance conditions provide an exception.
Up to 2026 the FOPH lists telemedicine tariffs under the tariff type “DIV” (other models), together with other models. From 2027 there is a separate tariff type “TEL_DIG”.
What you pay compared with the standard model
Compared with the standard model of the same insurer, a tariff of this model is 10.2 to 13.8% cheaper on median (depending on city and deductible, premiums 2027).
| City | Standard (free choice of physicians) | GP/HMO | Telemedicine/digital | Flex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich (ZH) | CHF 677.00 | CHF 598.42−11.6 % | CHF 597.05−11.8 % | CHF 597.00−11.8 % |
| Bern (BE) | CHF 699.75 | CHF 617.95−11.7 % | CHF 622.95−11.0 % | CHF 603.30−13.8 % |
| Lausanne (VD) | CHF 720.80 | CHF 637.60−11.5 % | CHF 639.00−11.3 % | CHF 624.30−13.4 % |
| Lugano (TI) | CHF 764.00 | CHF 684.40−10.4 % | CHF 689.55−9.7 % | CHF 687.45−10.0 % |
| City | Standard (free choice of physicians) | GP/HMO | Telemedicine/digital | Flex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich (ZH) | CHF 549.75 | CHF 470.45−14.4 % | CHF 471.50−14.2 % | CHF 472.20−14.1 % |
| Bern (BE) | CHF 571.45 | CHF 490.10−14.2 % | CHF 494.60−13.4 % | CHF 475.00−16.9 % |
| Lausanne (VD) | CHF 592.50 | CHF 512.00−13.6 % | CHF 511.00−13.8 % | CHF 496.00−16.3 % |
| Lugano (TI) | CHF 635.70 | CHF 556.10−12.5 % | CHF 561.40−11.7 % | CHF 562.50−11.5 % |
Our own calculation: median of all tariffs per model in the city municipality (premium region 1), percentage compared with the median of the standard model. “Telemedicine and other models” is the FOPH tariff type “DIV” up to 2026; besides telemedicine it also includes other models. Source: FOPH, health insurance premiums 2027, as at 15.10.2026, opendata.swiss. Methodology: How we calculate.
What do I need to do before seeing a doctor?
Most insured people are in a model like this: in 2024, according to the FOPH, 79.8% of adults and 83.1% of children. If you do not know the rules, you risk your insurer not paying for a treatment.
Telemedicine · Emergency
In an emergency you go straight to the nearest emergency department or call 144, without a referral and without calling first. Many tariffs require you to inform your insurer’s telemedicine service afterwards within a deadline. How long that deadline is depends on the insurance conditions.
Important: The insurance conditions of your tariff are binding. You will find them in your policy or on your insurer’s website. The rule above describes what many tariffs provide, not your contract.
Legal basis: Art. 41 para. 4 KVG
Suits you if …
- you are rarely ill and want a quick assessment
- you travel a lot and do not need a fixed practice nearby
- you do not mind a call or an app before seeing a doctor
Watch out for
- Call first before every non-urgent doctor’s visit; whether this also applies to follow-up appointments is in the insurance conditions.
- After an emergency you often have to inform the advice service within a deadline.
More in the glossary
Frequently asked questions
How does the telemedicine model work?
Before every doctor’s visit you contact your insurer’s advice service by phone or app. A medical professional assesses your complaint and tells you what to do next. If you follow the recommendation, the insurer covers the costs as in the standard model.
Do I have to call first in an emergency?
No. In an emergency you go straight to the emergency department or call 144. Many tariffs require you to inform the advice service afterwards within a deadline; the deadline is in the insurance conditions.
What happens if I do not follow the rules of the model?
If you see a doctor without following the required route, the insurer does not have to pay for that treatment (Art. 41 para. 4 KVG). Many insurance conditions also provide for exclusion from the model after repeated breaches. Emergencies are always exempt.
When can I change my model?
You can switch from the standard model to a model with restricted choice at any time. Returning to the standard model or switching to another model is only possible at the end of a calendar year; your notice must reach the insurer one month in advance, i.e. by 30 November (Art. 100 KVV, Art. 7 KVG).
Are the benefits worse in a savings model?
No. The statutory benefits of basic health insurance are the same in every model. Only the route to treatment is restricted: the insurer only has to pay for what the chosen service providers carry out or arrange (Art. 41 para. 4 KVG).
Sources
- Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG), Art. 41Art. 41 KVGfedlex.admin.ch
- Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG), Art. 62Art. 62 KVGfedlex.admin.ch
- Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV), Art. 99–101aArt. 99–101a KVVfedlex.admin.ch
- Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV), Art. 36Art. 36 KVVfedlex.admin.ch
- FOPH: Health insurance, special types of insurancebag.admin.ch
- FOPH: health insurance premiums, opendata.swissopendata.swiss
- FOPH: Statistics on compulsory health insurance 2024, tables T 7.08 and T 7.09 (as at 22.05.2025)bag.admin.ch
Calculation based on the 2027 premiums approved by the FOPH, as at 15.10.2026, source: FOPH, health insurance premiums, opendata.swiss. Only the insurer’s quote or policy is binding. The model descriptions and rules are general information, not individual advice; your insurer’s insurance conditions are binding. Methodology: How we calculate.