Insurance in Switzerland

Health Insurance (Krankenversicherung) is mandatory in Switzerland. When you register with the municipality (Gemeinde) where you live they will ask you for proof that you have the basic health insurance. If you don’t have that proof yet, you must bring in proof as soon as you get it.

(EU citizens with pension income from other countries who are insured with foreign agencies should register with Gemeinsame Einrichtung KVG in Switzerland in order to obtain a Swiss insurance card. The Gemeinsame Einrichtung Krankenversicherungsgesetzes is the Swiss Joint Foundation for Health Insurance and works for the benefit of the Swiss resident population in regard to the health system.)

Insurance models

There are many different private health insurance companies in Switzerland and they each have different insurance models. The following is a list of the main types of health insurance model in Switzerland:

1. Telemedicine
   In telemedicine your first point of contact for medical assistance is by phone or internet with a centralized medical advice point. When you explain your health need, they will tell you what the next step is and where to go near you. This is the cheapest insurance model.
2. Group Practise
   With the Group Practise model you have a group or list of doctors or practises that you arrange appointments with, and they will treat you or refer you to another specialist.
3. Family Physician
   In this model, your first point of contact is your regular family doctor or General Practioner. Your physician can then refer you to other specialists as necessary. You will name your family doctor to your insurance company.
4. Free choice of doctor
   With this model you can make appointments yourself directly with any doctor you wish. This is the most expensive insurance model.

Emergency Care

In the case of an immediate medical emergency or accident, you can always go to any health provider for treatment. Your health insurance provider may later ask for a referral letter from your family or designated doctor to verify that it was an emergency. If it was not an emergency and you are shown to have deviated from your agreed insurance model, you might not be fully covered.

Annual Deductible (Franchise or Excess)

All health insurance plans for adults have an annual deductible (also known as Franchise or Excess) which is at least CHF 300 per person per calendar year (some policies for children may have no deductible). One way to reduce your insurance premiums is to set a higher deductible. The higher the deductible, the cheaper the premium. The highest deductible is CHF 2’500.

Co-pay

In the case you reach your annual deductible, you pay 10% of the bills as a  ‘Co-pay’ (Selbstbehalt) up to CHF700. Thereafter, the insurance policy will cover your entire medical bills. For in-patient (over night stays in hospital) you may be exempt from co-pay, depending on your policy.

Supplemental insurance

Supplemental health insurance tops up your basic health insurance cover. Any supplements are elective and you do not have to take them.

Supplements can be paid for private or semi-private hospital rooms, wider geographical access to specialists within Switzerland, for dental work or for alternative medicine treatments.

While your basic health insurance will cover many (especially emergency) medical treatments abroad, you can also get supplemental insurance to ensure you have all the medical coverage you need in the countries you travel to, especially if you travel to countries where the medical costs are higher than Switzerland (for example, the USA).