by Once a year it is possible to (easily) change your health insurance in Switzerland. To do so you must cancel your existing policy by 30 November, a date fast approaching. © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.comDeadline for annual changes is 30 NovemberInsurers must tell their members what next year’s premiums will be by 31 October. Members then have until 30 November to cancel their insurance contract for the following year. All basic insurance contracts offer this possibility. This means if you want to change to a different provider in 2022 you need to cancel you existing policy by 30 November 2021. What is basic health insurance?Basic insurance is compulsory and breaks down into two elements: cover for illness and cover for accidents. By default policies cover both. Those with accident
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Once a year it is possible to (easily) change your health insurance in Switzerland. To do so you must cancel your existing policy by 30 November, a date fast approaching.
Deadline for annual changes is 30 November
Insurers must tell their members what next year’s premiums will be by 31 October. Members then have until 30 November to cancel their insurance contract for the following year. All basic insurance contracts offer this possibility. This means if you want to change to a different provider in 2022 you need to cancel you existing policy by 30 November 2021.
What is basic health insurance?
Basic insurance is compulsory and breaks down into two elements: cover for illness and cover for accidents. By default policies cover both. Those with accident insurance as part of their employment are able to opt out of the accident element and reduce their premium.
Basic insurance covers basic healthcare and hospitalisation in your canton of residence. There are many choices around how it is delivered, each with different premium levels. Some insurers offer discounts in return for service restrictions such as using one pharmacy or always visiting your family doctor before seeing a specialist. Discounts are also given if you choose a higher deductible – these run up to a maximum of 2,500 for adults and 600 for children.
Complementary cover
The second type of policy is complementary or supplementary health insurance. This is optional and can cover a range of treatments and risks not covered by basic insurance including dentistry, alternative medicine, prenatal care, travel insurance, enhanced hospital care, loss of earnings and lump sum payments if you are unable to work. Complementary insurance contracts often have terms that extend beyond one year. There is no automatic right to change these policies annually. This does not stop you from making annual changes to your basic insurance policy or changing basic insurance provider. Complementary insurance is separate from basic insurance even when bought with basic cover.
1 July changes before 31 March
If your basic insurance is on a standard plan with an adult deductible of CHF 300 or a child deductible of zero you can change mid-year. Those with other plans, with requirements such as a need to visit your family doctor before seeing a specialist, or higher deductibles normally can’t. To do this your insurer must receive a written cancellation letter by 31 March and find a new provider by 1 July.
Source: Dreamstime.com
Start early
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP) recommends starting the process early to avoid missing the deadline. It is important to note that it is the date the cancellation letter arrives at the insurance company that matters and not the date it was sent. Using registered post provides proof a letter has arrived.
Once the cancellation letter has been sent and received, the switch to a new insurer becomes final when the existing insurance company receives a confirmation letter from the new one. This needs to happen before the end of the year to ensure uninterrupted coverage. The OFSP provides a termination letter template on their website.
Finding a new insurer, comparing prices and cover
The OFSP keeps a register of qualifying providers and has a tool for comparing providers called Priminfo. Premiums for the following year are published by the end of September on Priminfo every year. In addition, there are commercial comparison websites such as Comparis and Bonus but for basic insurance all of the premium information can be found at Priminfo. In 2001 there were close to 100 different approved insurance providers. Now, in 2022, there are only 56.
Health insurance premiums continue to rise as medicine progresses and Switzerland’s population ages. Premiums rose by an average of 4.5% nationally in 2017, by 4.0% in 2018, by 1.2% in 2019, by 0.2% in 2020 and by 0.5% in 2021. In 2022 they will fall modestly by an average of 0.2%.
Over the last 20 years, premiums have risen by 53%, with a steep rise of 40% between 2006 and 2016. In 2022, premiums will be on average 0.2% lower than in 2021. However, some will see greater reductions and others will pay more.
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