Sanitas — the health insurance that answers in English first
Sanitas — the health insurance that answers in English first.
Sanitas is the Swiss insurer that built its entire digital experience around the assumption that you don't speak German yet. Whether that digital polish translates into better coverage — or just better onboarding — is the question we hear most.
At a glance
- Satisfaction
- 5.0/6(Comparis 2026)
- Basic from
- CHF 540.80/month(Zürich example, 2027)
45 minutes with Robert. Free.
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Premium calculator · official BAG tariffs
What Sanitas charges in 2027
2027 premiums shown, as published by the Federal Office of Public Health on 29 September 2026.
Zürich · premium region 1 · adult 26+ · (not needed if you're employed 8+ hours a week)
CHF 480
a month at Sanitas in 2027 — +4.9% since 2026
Cheapest for the same cover
Sumiswalder · CHF 471
CHF 106 a year less than Sanitas
Sanitas since 2016, against the market
A calculator sees the price. It can’t see your supplementary contract, your model’s referral rules or how your insurer pays claims — that’s the review. Free · 45 minutes · In English · With Robert.
Sanitas for expats — the verdict.
The strongest English support among the eleven, worldwide private cover built into Hospital Top Liberty, and solid digital tools. Sanitas fits globally mobile professionals who want English-first service and international scope — with an age curve on hospital tiers that rewards joining before 50.
- English service
- Strongest English support in the market
- Supplementary pricing
- Age-banded — steep on Hospital Liberty at 50+
- Digital
- Medgate app + Compact One digital model
- Tends to fit
- Globally mobile, English-first professionals
Sanitas fits if.
- English-first matters — Sanitas has the strongest English support across app, phone, Medgate tele-medicine, and documents
- You're globally mobile and need Medical Private for worldwide outpatient coverage at private rates
- You value digital UX — Compact One is the most streamlined digital basic model in Switzerland
- You want Medgate tele-medicine in English as your primary access point for routine medical questions
Probably wrong if.
- You have pre-existing conditions — Sanitas has the strictest supplementary underwriting of the big four, more exclusions and rejections than competitors
- You're budget-conscious — Sanitas is positioned as premium, not the cheapest on basic or supplementary
- You want an all-in-one bundled supplementary package — Sanitas requires assembling Vital + Hospital Liberty separately
- You're 50+ and sensitive to hospital age-curve — Hospital Liberty tiers escalate steeply past 50
Sanitas — at a glance.
Founded
1958
Weinfelden, Thurgau
Headquarters
Zürich
Canton Zürich
Insured persons
~900K
per Sanitas, 2026
| Category | Sanitas |
|---|---|
| Languages | DE, FR, IT, EN (strongest English support) |
| Moneyland 2025 | 7.9 / 10 (Good) |
| Bonus.ch 2025 | 5.2 / 6 — highest of the big four |
| Digital experience | Medgate app + Compact One digital model |
| Pricing model (supplementary) | Age-band (steep on Hospital Liberty at 50+) |
| English support | Best in class — app, phone, documents, tele-medicine |
Sources: Sanitas annual report 2024 · moneyland.ch 2025 · bonus.ch · FINMA complaint register
Products you'd actually choose.
Sanitas offers a modular supplementary range. These are the four products that come up in almost every expat consultation.
Vital Basic
Entry-level outpatient supplementary. Covers basic complementary medicine, glasses, and prevention. The minimum supplementary layer for expats who want some gap coverage without a large premium.
Complementary medicine caps are low on Basic. If you use alternative therapies regularly, Vital Premium is the better tier.
Vital Premium
Top outpatient tier. Higher complementary medicine limits, broader prevention, glasses, and dental contributions. The tier for expats who want comprehensive outpatient coverage.
Premium positioning means premium pricing. Not the cheapest outpatient supplementary — CSS myFlex Balance offers similar coverage at a lower premium in many cantons.
Hospital Liberty Top
Highest hospital tier. Private ward, free choice of doctor and hospital throughout Switzerland. The product with the steepest age-curve in Sanitas's lineup.
The escalation after 50 is the steepest of any Sanitas product. The premium can rise steeply between 35 and 55 without any change in coverage.
Medical Private
Worldwide private outpatient coverage — the product globally mobile expats choose. Covers treatment at private rates in any country. Not a hospital tier replacement.
Medical Private is outpatient worldwide, not hospital worldwide. For private hospital coverage abroad, you need Hospital Liberty on top of Medical Private.
Two services come with most plans: Compact One (the fully digital basic model with Medgate triage — the cheapest Sanitas basic option) and Medgate tele-medicine (24/7 in English, German, French).
The age-curve, in one chart.
Hospital Liberty Top — monthly premium by age
The CHF 220 you pay at 30 becomes CHF 1120 at 70. This is the age-curve trap.
| Age | Monthly premium (CHF) |
|---|---|
| 30 | 220 |
| 40 | 360 |
| 50 | 620 |
| 60 | 880 |
| 70 | 1120 |
Sanitas Hospital Liberty Top: the CHF 220 you pay at 30 becomes CHF 1,120 at 70. Outpatient Vital premiums climb much less steeply — this curve is specifically about the hospital tier, where Sanitas's age-band pricing hits hardest.
Hospital Liberty — which tier matters?
Hospital Liberty Top buys a private room, chief physician, and the broadest clinic network. It's the tier where the age-curve above lives — and the tier most expats overbuy at signup.
Hospital Liberty Standard and Extra offer general and semi-private wards at meaningfully lower premiums. The clinical standard for most procedures is identical. The difference is room class and physician seniority.
The honest call: most expats, most of the time, don't need Liberty Top. Standard or Extra covers the gap between basic and private. Top earns its premium for elective surgery, known specialist relationships, or family circumstances. The fine print: even on Liberty Top, "private" depends on bed availability and chief-physician scheduling. Read the contract, or have us read it.
"Sanitas built the best English-language health insurance experience in Switzerland. The catch is that the experience is better than the underwriting — and the underwriting is what matters when you're older or sicker."
Where Sanitas frustrates you.
Sanitas's supplementary underwriting is the strictest of the big four. Pre-existing conditions are more likely to trigger permanent exclusions — not just waiting periods — than at SWICA, Helsana, or CSS. We've seen the same condition accepted with a 12-month waiting period at SWICA and permanently excluded at Sanitas, in the same month, for the same client.
Hospital Liberty tiers escalate steeply after 50. The Liberty Top premium at 55 can be 2.5× the premium at 35 — and unlike SWICA's entry-age model, there's no lock-in. Every five years, the premium steps up regardless of when you enrolled.
The product naming is not intuitive. Vital Basic / Smart / Premium, Hospital Liberty Standard / Extra / Top, Compact One, Medical Private, Jump — for a new arrival trying to understand Swiss insurance for the first time, the naming creates confusion rather than clarity.
This is the kind of thing we read the contracts for.
Some of the people we've advised on Sanitas.
Mika · 29 · Helsinki → Zürich, 2024
English-only, no German, first month in Switzerland. Wanted an insurer where every interaction — app, phone, claims, documents — works in English without friction.
Sanitas was the clear choice. Medgate tele-medicine in English for the first GP visit. Compact One as the fully digital basic model. The entire onboarding happened in English, from application to insurance card.
The first insurer interaction in a new country sets the tone. If it's in your language, everything after it feels manageable.
Aisha · 38 · Riyadh → Geneva, 2024
Globally mobile, sees specialists in three countries. Wanted worldwide outpatient coverage that actually pays at private rates outside Switzerland — not just emergency repatriation.
Sanitas Medical Private won. The coverage is genuinely global without per-country reimbursement tiers. For someone who sees a dermatologist in London, a dentist in Dubai, and a GP in Geneva, the simplicity of one global rate matters.
Worldwide coverage with asterisks isn't worldwide coverage. Read the reimbursement schedule, not the brochure.
Liam & Niamh · 42 + 40 · Dublin → Zug, 2023
Family, chose Sanitas for the Compact One digital experience. First year was excellent — fast claims, clean app, Medgate for the kids at night. Second year, a complex specialist referral went in circles for three weeks.
We kept Sanitas for basic (the digital experience is genuine) but moved their supplementary to an insurer with better complex-claim handling. Digital-first works until the claim isn't simple.
The app handles the easy claims. The insurer handles the hard ones. Know which you're choosing for.
Daniela · 36 · Buenos Aires → Basel, 2024
Pre-existing autoimmune condition. Applied to Sanitas for supplementary coverage. The health declaration triggered a permanent exclusion on the condition — treatments related to it would never be covered.
We appealed and got the exclusion narrowed from the entire condition to specific treatments. Then we applied to SWICA as a comparison — they accepted with a twelve-month waiting period instead of a permanent exclusion. Same client, two completely different outcomes.
Sanitas's underwriting is the strictest of the big four. If you have a condition, apply to two insurers and compare the terms.
Suresh · 57 · Chennai → Lausanne, 2023
On Sanitas Hospital Liberty Top since age 45. At 57, the premium had climbed steeply since signup — age-band pricing at its most visible. Wanted to switch to SWICA to lock in the entry-age rate.
We ran the numbers. Even at 57, locking in SWICA's entry-age rate was meaningfully cheaper than staying on Sanitas's age-band trajectory. But the health declaration at 57 added an exclusion that made the switch harder than expected.
The age-curve doesn't send you a warning. It just shows up on the October premium letter, higher than last year.
★★★★★
“She assisted and guided me through the entire process of obtaining my Swiss pension refund.”
Ryan K. · Google
★★★★★
“What I appreciated the most is that she was trying to help me solve my problem, not simply sell me an insurance policy.”
Thomas P. · Google
★★★★★
“After several bad experiences with other brokers, working with Mr. Robert Kolar was a completely different experience.”
Dragos H. · Google
★★★★★
“Robert is the best person to partner with if you need to do difficult things such as relocate.”
E. Burke-Murphy · Google
★★★★★
“My session with Robert was one of the most efficient consultation sessions I'd ever had.”
Milad F. · Google
★★★★★
“I was looking to change a supplementary insurance plan, and Robert guided me with professionalism and patience.”
Diana M. · Google
★★★★★
“After returning to Switzerland from abroad, Robert was a tremendous help consulting me about all the changes.”
Steven · Google
★★★★★
“Highly recommend consulting Expat Savvy before making any online insurance comparisons.”
Zendaya B. · Google
★★★★★
“Working with Ben was great. Very prompt and responsive. Would highly recommend to anyone.”
Michele · Google
★★★★★
“Beide arbeiten Hand in Hand und haben die individuellen Anforderungen unserer Kunden immer im Blick.”
Katharina K. · Google
★★★★★
“She assisted and guided me through the entire process of obtaining my Swiss pension refund.”
Ryan K. · Google
★★★★★
“What I appreciated the most is that she was trying to help me solve my problem, not simply sell me an insurance policy.”
Thomas P. · Google
★★★★★
“After several bad experiences with other brokers, working with Mr. Robert Kolar was a completely different experience.”
Dragos H. · Google
★★★★★
“Robert is the best person to partner with if you need to do difficult things such as relocate.”
E. Burke-Murphy · Google
★★★★★
“My session with Robert was one of the most efficient consultation sessions I'd ever had.”
Milad F. · Google
★★★★★
“I was looking to change a supplementary insurance plan, and Robert guided me with professionalism and patience.”
Diana M. · Google
★★★★★
“She assisted and guided me through the entire process of obtaining my Swiss pension refund.”
Ryan K. · Google
★★★★★
“What I appreciated the most is that she was trying to help me solve my problem, not simply sell me an insurance policy.”
Thomas P. · Google
★★★★★
“After several bad experiences with other brokers, working with Mr. Robert Kolar was a completely different experience.”
Dragos H. · Google
★★★★★
“Robert is the best person to partner with if you need to do difficult things such as relocate.”
E. Burke-Murphy · Google
★★★★★
“My session with Robert was one of the most efficient consultation sessions I'd ever had.”
Milad F. · Google
★★★★★
“I was looking to change a supplementary insurance plan, and Robert guided me with professionalism and patience.”
Diana M. · Google
Illustrated portraits — households we've advised across all eleven Swiss insurers.
What Robert asks about Sanitas.
For Sanitas, the first question I ask is: 'Do you have anything on your health declaration?' If yes, apply to two insurers and compare the terms — Sanitas is the most likely of the four to add an exclusion, and the most likely to process the clean applications faster than anyone else. The second question is tenure: if you're staying past 50, the Hospital Liberty age-curve needs to be part of the conversation.
— Robert Kolar · Health insurance advisor
Sanitas in the wider market.
Sanitas isn't the only choice for these scenarios. The pages we'd send you to next:
- Sanitas vs Helsana — digital-first vs broader product set
- Sanitas vs SWICA — when the health declaration changes the answer
- CSS vs Sanitas — supplementary strengths compared
- SWICA — for long-term expats who want entry-age pricing
- CSS — for modular coverage with stronger dental
- Changing insurer — the two deadlines: 30 November for basic, and the separate window supplementary opens when your policy lands
From the Expat Health Insurance Index
How Sanitas priced the last decade.
Sanitas: CHF 336.90 → CHF 491.10 a month over the decade (+45.8%, market median +51.2%); steepest single year +9.1% in 2024. Basic insurance, adult, CHF 2'500 franchise, standard model, Zürich region 1 — officially approved tariffs. Full context, every insurer and the arrival-year simulator: The Expat Health Insurance Index.
Frequently asked.
Is Compact One really fully digital?
Does Medical Private cover hospital abroad?
How strict is Sanitas supplementary underwriting?
How does Sanitas's age-curve compare to SWICA's?
Is there a waiting period for maternity with Sanitas?
What happens to my Sanitas policy if I leave Switzerland?
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