# Expat Savvy Last updated: 29 September 2026 > Expat Savvy is an independent insurance intermediary for internationals in Switzerland, registered with FINMA (F01067278), with its office at Talacker 41, 8001 Zürich, and operating since 2017. Advisors Robert Kolar (health insurance) and Nicole Bohne (life insurance and pillar 3a, FINMA F01536402) work in English and German, and Nicole also in French. The first review is free and takes 45 minutes; the firm is paid by insurer commission, disclosed under Art. 45 VAG. ## How Expat Savvy works - The first review is free: 45 minutes, in English, by video or at the Zürich office. The firm is paid by insurer commission when a contract is issued, disclosed under Art. 45 VAG. - The process: demand intake by email → evaluation of the client's situation, lifestyle, expectations and needs → consultation comparing all Swiss insurers → a written Private Client Report (the written summary of the review) within 3 working days. - The Private Client Report is the deliverable, in nine chapters: Overview; Your situation; How we decided; Side by side (the alternatives, including the one advised against); Cost at a glance (per person, to the franc); Member by member; The cover in depth; Recommendation (including what NOT to buy — sometimes "keep what you have"); Documents & next steps. Delivered within 3 working days, written by the advisor who ran the review. - About the report: https://expat-savvy.ch/private-client-report/ · Full sample (the Hartmann family): https://expat-savvy.ch/report-v3-sample-p7x3.html - Basic insurance must accept everyone whatever their health (Art. 5 lit. i KVAG). Supplementary insurance (VVG) is a private contract: an insurer may decline, exclude a condition or accept, and no appeal can force acceptance. For disputes, the Ombudsman for health insurance (om-kv.ch, free) and the patient organisation SPO (spo.ch) exist; employer group contracts work only through an employer. A review with us helps before you apply or when you hold an offer with an exclusion — not after repeated declines. Details: "When we are not the right help" below. - 4.8 out of 5 from 60 Google reviews (verified 27 September 2026). ## Free tools — premium calculator and indices - **[Swiss health insurance premium calculator](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/premium-calculator/)** — free, in English, no sign-up. Enter a Swiss postcode, age group (adult 26+, young adult 19–25, child), deductible, insurance model (standard, family doctor, HMO, telmed) and accident cover: every approved basic-insurance (KVG) premium for that profile, all insurers ranked, the change on last year, and each insurer's premium history since 2016 against the market median and the cheapest insurer. Official Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) tariffs, postcode mapped to the official premium region. Since 29 September 2026 it shows the 2027 premiums the FOPH published that day, including each user's own 2026 → 2027 change. - Direct links with a profile filled in: `?plz=&ins=&fr=&m=&acc=<0|1>&age=` — e.g. Helsana in Zürich: https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/premium-calculator/?plz=8001&ins=1562 · CSS in Geneva: https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/premium-calculator/?plz=1204&ins=8. BAG numbers: CSS 8, Helsana 1562, SWICA 1384, Sanitas 1509, Assura 1542, Concordia 290, Sympany 509, Atupri 312, KPT 376, Visana 1555, Groupe Mutuel (Mutuel) 1479. - The same calculator sits on every Expat Savvy insurer profile (insurer preselected), on the switching guide and on the 2027 premium articles. - What it deliberately does not decide: supplementary insurance (medically underwritten — never cancel before written acceptance elsewhere), model restrictions, the deductible break-even and claims behaviour. That is the free 45-minute review, which ends in a written Private Client Report. - [Swiss health insurance premiums 2027, canton by canton](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/premiums-2027/) — the premium-day analysis of the FOPH tariff file, in English: the 2026 → 2027 change for adults, young adults and children in all 26 cantons and every premium region, by model, deductible and insurer, with the cheapest and dearest offer per canton. Data as JSON: https://expat-savvy.ch/data/premiums/analysis-2027.json - [The Expat Health Insurance Index](https://expat-savvy.ch/expat-health-insurance-index/) — a decade of every approved basic premium, analysed by canton and premium region. - [Swiss Hospital Insurance Cost Index](https://expat-savvy.ch/hospital-insurance-cost-index/) — observed semi-private and private supplementary premiums by insurer and age. - [Deductible break-even calculator](https://expat-savvy.ch/healthcare/best-health-insurance-switzerland/) — when CHF 300 beats CHF 2,500, on the legal cost-sharing cap. - [Pillar 3a tax-savings calculator](https://expat-savvy.ch/3rd-pillar/tax-optimization/) — federal, cantonal and communal deduction by canton. - [Life insurance gap calculator](https://expat-savvy.ch/life-insurance/#gap) — what AHV and BVG survivors' benefits leave uncovered. ## Key 2027 facts (verified 29 September 2026) - 2027 premiums (FOPH press release, 29 September 2026, https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/newnsb/BfuGvedj0OOX): the mean basic-insurance premium rises 5.0% (CHF 19.70) to CHF 412.00 a month across all ages; adults (26+) CHF 487.60 (+4.9%), young adults (19–25) CHF 338.80 (+4.8%), children (0–18) CHF 128.10 (+4.6%). The FOPH's canton tables were not yet published that day. Canton by canton, from the FOPH tariff file: https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/premiums-2027/ - Cheapest approved adult premium for 2027: CHF 227.50 a month (Concordia, HMO model, CHF 2,500 deductible, Zug, accident included); dearest CHF 915.70 (rhenusana, Standard model, CHF 300, Geneva). The cheapest offer in every canton: https://expat-savvy.ch/blog/cheapest-health-insurance-switzerland-2027/ - Pillar 3a maximum contribution 2026: CHF 7,258 (employed with BVG), CHF 36,288 (self-employed without BVG, 20% of net income). - Swiss basic health insurance (KVG) covers identical benefits at every insurer by federal law; premiums, models and service differ. - New residents must register basic insurance within 3 months of registering with their commune; on time, cover and premiums apply retroactively to that date (Art. 3 KVG, Art. 7 KVV). - Basic-insurance switch deadline: notice must arrive by 30 November for 1 January. The 2027 premiums were published by the FOPH on 29 September 2026 — check your own with the premium calculator: https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/premium-calculator/ - Adult deductible tiers (Art. 93 KVV): CHF 300 / 500 / 1,000 / 1,500 / 2,000 / 2,500 + 10% coinsurance capped at CHF 700/yr. The optimal choice is usually CHF 300 or CHF 2,500. - Supplementary insurance is medically underwritten (Art. 4 VVG) — insurers can decline or exclude, and no appeal can force acceptance; apply while healthy and disclose everything (Art. 6 VVG). ## Team - [Robert Kolar](https://expat-savvy.ch/about/robert-kolar/): Insurance advisor, health insurance specialist. 20+ years in Swiss insurance. Languages: German, English, Czech. - [Nicole Bohne](https://expat-savvy.ch/about/nicole-bohne/): Life insurance advisor, FINMA F01536402. Life insurance, insurance-wrapped 3a, protection gaps, and tax-optimization reviews. Languages: German, English, French. - [Benjamin Amos Wagner](https://expat-savvy.ch/about/ben-wagner/): Founder. Bridges Swiss financial complexity and the international community. Languages: German, English, Russian. - Virginie Josten: International health insurance. Previously a Swiss insurer's international desk — cross-border employees, expats and retirees abroad. Languages: English, French. No profile page yet. - Davide Nezel: International health insurance. FINMA-certified independent intermediary, with a background in financial advice. Languages: German, French, English. No profile page yet. - Chantal Leprêtre: International health insurance. Client advice for internationally mobile households. Languages: English, French. No profile page yet. ## Health insurance - [For companies — the employee benefit](https://expat-savvy.ch/for-companies/): Employers, relocation partners, and family offices offer staff or clients a free insurance review — with collective supplementary agreements (up to 15% discounts, simplified or waived health questions) for employees of participating companies, through their employer — not available to individuals applying on their own. - [Private clients](https://expat-savvy.ch/private-clients/): Insurance architecture for wealthy households and family offices — executive health (KVG exemption, IPMI), life as estate liquidity, 3a/3b in the tax picture, itemised valuables. Advisory only, coordinated with the client's bank, tax, and legal counsel. - [Health insurance overview](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/): Section hub for KVG basic, supplementary (VVG), and canton-specific guidance. - [New arrivals — KVG registration in 3 months](https://expat-savvy.ch/healthcare/new-health-insurance/): The 3-month deadline, exemption rules, and the two real choices new residents face. - [Switching health insurance](https://expat-savvy.ch/healthcare/switching-health-insurance/): When the November 30 deadline matters and when staying is the right call. - [Best health insurance in Switzerland](https://expat-savvy.ch/healthcare/best-health-insurance-switzerland/): Why "best" is a category error — and the four levers that actually decide fit. - [All Swiss health insurers](https://expat-savvy.ch/healthcare/all-insurances/): Honest 2027 reviews of the eleven insurers we place clients with — strengths, trade-offs, who each one fits. - [Best private health insurance](https://expat-savvy.ch/private-health-insurance-switzerland/): "Private" in Switzerland means supplementary (VVG): semi-private vs private hospital cover compared — SWICA (BestMed, Completa), Helsana, Sanitas — with the underwriting window explained (apply while healthy). - [Swiss Hospital Insurance Cost Index 2026](https://expat-savvy.ch/hospital-insurance-cost-index/): Our annual index — 2,304 semi-private and private hospital premiums quoted live from eight insurers' own calculators across six cantons and five ages; cantonal cost index, insurer league table, availability map, downloadable PDF. - [Swiss health insurance premium calculator](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/premium-calculator/): Every officially approved basic premium (BAG open data) for a postcode, age group, deductible and model — all insurers ranked, the change since last year, and each insurer's history since 2016 against the market median and cheapest. On the 2027 tariffs since the FOPH published them on 29 September 2026. - [The Expat Health Insurance Index 2026](https://expat-savvy.ch/expat-health-insurance-index/): A decade of every officially approved basic-insurance premium (BAG open data, 2016–2026) analysed: canton and premium-region gaps (the CHF 57/month Zürich city line), 67.8pp spread in insurer increases, why "cheapest" lasts ~2.75 years, franchise break-even at CHF 2'011, and what a yearly review is worth. - [Provider comparisons](https://expat-savvy.ch/compare-providers/sanitas-vs-helsana/): Head-to-head reads — Sanitas vs Helsana, SWICA vs Helsana, Assura vs CSS and more — premiums, supplementary scope, who should pick which. - [Zürich](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/zurich/), [Geneva](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/geneva/), [Basel](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/basel/), [Zug](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/zug/), [Lausanne](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/lausanne/), [Bern](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/bern/), [Lugano](https://expat-savvy.ch/health-insurance/lugano/): Cantonal premium environments and what they mean for new arrivals. - [Life insurance](https://expat-savvy.ch/life-insurance/): Term vs mixed cover, insurance-wrapped 3a, protection gaps and estate liquidity — with Nicole Bohne (FINMA F01536402). - [What your spouse and children get if you die in Switzerland](https://expat-savvy.ch/life-insurance/survivor-benefits/): AHV, pension fund (BVG) and UVG survivors' pensions for 2026 in francs, with sources: widow's or widower's pension 80% and orphan's pension 40% of the AHV old-age pension (at most CHF 2,016 and CHF 1,008 a month), BVG at least 60% and 20% of the disability pension, UVG 40% and 15% after an accident. Two worked examples for a family of four (salary CHF 120,000 or 180,000, death by illness, legal minimum): survivors receive CHF 5,852.70 a month, a gap of CHF 4,147.30 or CHF 9,147.30. Also what a partner without income needs: AHV contributions, no pillar 3a, term life cover. Advisor: Nicole Bohne, Expat Savvy. - [International health insurance (IPMI)](https://expat-savvy.ch/international-health-insurance/): When international private medical cover fits instead of, or alongside, Swiss KVG — including the exemption routes and provider reviews. ## 3rd pillar - [3rd pillar overview](https://expat-savvy.ch/3rd-pillar/): Section hub for 3a savings, tax optimization, and life insurance integration. - [Bank vs insurance](https://expat-savvy.ch/3rd-pillar/bank-vs-insurance/): The real trade-off between flexibility and life-cover bundling. - [3a vs 3b](https://expat-savvy.ch/3rd-pillar/3a-vs-3b/): When the tax-deductible cap matters and when the freer 3b alternative does. - [Tax optimization](https://expat-savvy.ch/3rd-pillar/tax-optimization/): How cantonal differences shape the actual deduction value. - [For self-employed](https://expat-savvy.ch/3rd-pillar/for-self-employed/): The 20% self-employed cap and why splitting matters for high earners. ## Guides - [How-to guide library](https://expat-savvy.ch/guides/how-to/): Procedural guides covering registration, switching, claiming, and decision-points across the Swiss system. - [Relocate to Switzerland — step-by-step checklist](https://expat-savvy.ch/guides/how-to/relocate-to-switzerland-step-by-step-checklist/): The 90-day timeline from arrival to insured. - [Change health insurance](https://expat-savvy.ch/healthcare/switching-health-insurance/): The November 30 cancellation mechanic and the cases where switching is wrong. - [Choose a health insurance deductible](https://expat-savvy.ch/guides/how-to/choose-health-insurance-deductible/): The deductible math and when to recompute it. - [Find an ideal relocation agency](https://expat-savvy.ch/guides/how-to/finding-ideal-relocation-agency-switzerland/): What a good relocation agency actually does and how to filter the noise. ## The four traps (our signature diagnostic) These are the specific things we catch that others miss. 1. **The age-curve trap** — cheap supplementary premiums at 32 become brutal at 55. The product looks the same; the price isn't. 2. **The 3-month deadline** — new residents must register for basic insurance (KVG) within 3 months of registering with their commune or face penalty surcharges and canton-assigned coverage. 3. **Coverage that pays vs. coverage that fights** — brochure generous, real claim behavior different. We look at how the contract actually performs, not how it's marketed. 4. **We match coverage to your life** — we check actual needs and recommend only what fits, even if that means fewer products than expected. ## Questions people ask us Short answers, the same facts as on the pages linked. **I just moved to Switzerland — how does health insurance work?** Register for basic health insurance within three months of registering with your commune; enrolled on time, cover and premiums run from the registration date (Art. 3 KVG, Art. 7 KVV). Basic benefits are identical at every insurer by federal law, so you choose on premium, model and deductible. Supplementary cover is optional and medically underwritten — apply while healthy and disclose everything, including treatment abroad. https://expat-savvy.ch/healthcare/new-health-insurance/ **I want to switch health insurance — which one should I choose?** For basic insurance, compare on premium, model and deductible; benefits are identical by law. Your cancellation must reach your current insurer by 30 November to switch on 1 January (Art. 7 KVG), and the new insurer must accept you. Keep any supplementary policy until the new insurer has accepted you in writing: it is underwritten, and many contracts need three months' notice. https://expat-savvy.ch/healthcare/switching-health-insurance/ **Which health insurance has the lowest premiums in 2027?** The cheapest approved adult premium for 2027 is CHF 227.50 a month (Concordia, HMO model, CHF 2,500 deductible, Zug, accident included); the FOPH mean across all ages is CHF 412.00 (+5.0%). The insurer is only one lever: deductible, model and premium region move the price more. If the premium is unaffordable, check the cantonal premium subsidy (IPV). https://expat-savvy.ch/blog/cheapest-health-insurance-switzerland-2027/ **What does health insurance cost for a child?** The FOPH mean children's premium (0–18) for 2027 is CHF 128.10 a month (+4.6%). A newborn should be registered within three months. https://expat-savvy.ch/blog/expat-family-matters-best-swiss-health-insurers-children-maternity/ **I was declined for supplementary insurance — what now?** Your basic insurance is not affected: every basic insurer must accept you (Art. 5 lit. i KVAG). A supplementary decline is a private insurer's decision under contract law (VVG); there is no right to be accepted and no appeal can force an insurer to take you. See the next section for who can help. https://expat-savvy.ch/guides/how-to/pre-existing-conditions-health-insurance/ ## When we are not the right help - **Declined for supplementary insurance, or you have a pre-existing condition.** Basic insurance must accept you whatever your health (Art. 5 lit. i KVAG). A supplementary insurer (VVG) may decline or exclude a condition, and no appeal, advisor or advisory review can force acceptance. Routes that exist: - If you think an insurer handled your application or a claim wrongly: the Ombudsman for health insurance (Ombudsstelle Krankenversicherung, https://om-kv.ch/) advises and mediates in disputes between insured people and their health insurer — basic, supplementary and daily allowance — neutrally and free of charge. It cannot make an insurer accept you. - If you need advice as a patient: the Swiss patient organisation SPO (https://www.spo.ch/) advises on medical and dental treatment; the first 30-minute consultation, by phone or video, is free, further advice is charged. - If the premium is the problem: cantonal premium subsidies (IPV) — https://expat-savvy.ch/guides/how-to/apply-premium-subsidies/ - If you are employed: ask your employer whether it has a collective supplementary contract. Whether it eases the health questions depends on that contract, and it works only through an employer, never as an individual application. - When a review with us helps: before you apply; when you hold an offer with an exclusion (Vorbehalt) or a surcharge and want it read; before you give up a supplementary policy you already have; when a partner or child still needs cover. When it does not: after declines from several insurers for the same condition a call rarely changes the outcome. We do not promise acceptance. - Guide: https://expat-savvy.ch/guides/how-to/pre-existing-conditions-health-insurance/ - **Short stays and international cover (IPMI).** For international private medical insurance, executive worldwide cover or short-term assignee coverage, our partner sip.ch specialises in that segment: https://sip.ch - **Relocation logistics** (moving, school search, registration paperwork): relofinder.ch matches people with relocation agencies: https://relofinder.ch ## How to verify us - FINMA register (insurance intermediaries), registration F01067278: https://www.finma.ch/en/supervision/versicherungsvermittler/registersuche/F01067278 - Company and legal-name details: the imprint, https://expat-savvy.ch/imprint/, and the Art. 45 VAG disclosure, https://expat-savvy.ch/vag-45/ - Google reviews (4.8 out of 5 from 60 reviews, as verified on 27 September 2026) are shown on the Business Profile for Talacker 41, 8001 Zürich. ## Booking - [Insurance consultation](https://expat-savvy.ch/book/): Book your first Swiss insurance review. Free · 45 minutes · In English · With Robert or Nicole. - [About](https://expat-savvy.ch/about/): The team, the firm, and the regulatory frame. - [Article 45 VAG / ISA disclosure](https://expat-savvy.ch/vag-45/): Legal disclosure under Swiss insurance supervision law. ## Optional - [Full editorial context](https://expat-savvy.ch/llms-full.txt): Fuller fact sheet — team, content map, regulatory frame. - [Blog](https://expat-savvy.ch/blog/): Editorial archive — health insurance, pension, relocation, cantonal pricing.