Video, 2 min 52 s Cheapest Swiss health insurance 2027: what it really saves
The cheapest Swiss health insurer gives exactly the same basic benefits as the most expensive one, by law.
Basic vs supplementary health insurance in Switzerland.
Basic health insurance in Switzerland is mandatory and gives the same benefits at every insurer, by law. Supplementary insurance is optional, and the insurer may accept you, add exclusions or decline. That is why timing matters.
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Book your first Swiss insurance reviewThe full transcript.
0:00 Two layers
Basic or supplementary health insurance in Switzerland: what is the difference, and do you need both? Swiss health insurance has two layers, and they follow different rules. The short answer: basic is mandatory, the same at every insurer, and every insurer must accept you. Supplementary is optional, differs by product, and the insurer may say no. For many people part of it is worth having. For some, none of it is.
0:34 Basic: the same everywhere
Basic pays for the general ward in your canton's hospitals, doctor visits and listed medicines, maternity care, and emergencies abroad up to twice the Swiss cost. By law, those benefits are identical at every insurer. What differs is the price.
0:53 Supplementary: where the differences are
Supplementary is everything you add on top, in four kinds. Hospital: a semi-private or private ward, and your choice of hospital. Outpatient: therapies basic won't pay, glasses, medicines off the list. Dental. And wider cover abroad. Hospital is most of the decision, and most of the price. Here is the real difference. For supplementary, the insurer asks health questions. It can accept you in full, add a surcharge, exclude a condition, or decline you. Answer every question completely, including treatment abroad. Incomplete answers can void the contract.
1:43 Two insurers is allowed
Two laws mean two contracts, and they can sit with different insurers. Most expats don't know that is allowed. You can switch basic every year without touching supplementary. Moving supplementary means new underwriting, at your age now. If you move it, apply first, and cancel only after a written yes.
2:08 Apply while healthy
The trap we usually catch: waiting until you need it. Once a supplementary policy is in place, the insurer cannot add exclusions for conditions that start later. Apply while you are healthy, and what comes later is covered as ordinary care. There is no official deadline, and no promise of acceptance. Applying early protects the option.
2:34 The age-curve trap
The price follows the age you join. For a semi-private ward, the median for a new customer is CHF 110 a month at 38, and 260 at 65. Some insurers stop taking new customers between 50 and 70. So decide supplementary once, kind by kind, and early. Sometimes the answer is hospital cover only, or nothing.
3:03 Your first Swiss insurance review
If you'd like someone to read your own contracts with you, book your first Swiss insurance review. It's free, 45 minutes, in English, with Robert or Nicole. The link is in the description.
