Cutting your Swiss health insurance premiums: the five levers that work

Identical benefits, different prices

What basic insurance (KVG/LAMal) pays is prescribed by law — it is identical at every insurer. Only premium and service differ. That makes saving here risk-free: you give up no benefit, you just stop paying more for the same thing. Five levers, ordered by effort:

1. Choose your deductible deliberately

The deductible (franchise) is your annual out-of-pocket share, selectable in the statutory steps from CHF 300 to 2,500 (adults). Higher deductible = lower premium. The rule of thumb: rarely ill → 2,500; chronic/regular costs → 300. The middle steps rarely pay off. Important: keep enough reserve for the deductible risk — the saving is worthless if one unexpected treatment breaks the budget.

2. An alternative model instead of free choice of doctor

Family-doctor, HMO and telemedicine models grant noticeable premium discounts — in return you commit to contacting the defined first port of call. If you always see your family doctor first anyway, the standard model simply wastes money. Just check that your doctor is on the model’s list.

3. Switch insurer — by the end of November

For identical basic-insurance benefits, insurers in the same premium region charge markedly different premiums. The official federal comparison priminfo.admin.ch (FOPH) lists every insurer’s premiums — ad-free and complete. Cancel by the end of November (receipt at the insurer), switch per 1 January. The new insurer must accept you into basic insurance without reservations.

4. Exclude accident cover

Employees working at least 8 hours per week for the same employer are covered for private accidents through UVG — the accident cover in the health policy is then duplicated and can be dropped. (The corresponding NBU deduction appears on your payslip — visible in the salary calculator.) If you lose the job or reduce below the threshold, re-include the cover.

5. Check premium subsidies

All cantons subsidise premiums for households with lower and middle incomes — the individual premium reduction (IPV). Entitlement, income limits and procedure are cantonal (sometimes automatic, sometimes on application). Actively checking your canton’s rules pays: otherwise that money simply lapses.

And supplementary insurance?

For supplementary policies (VVG) there is neither an obligation to accept you nor uniform benefits — insurers ask health questions and may refuse. Therefore: never cancel a supplementary policy before the new acceptance is in writing, and it is perfectly fine to hold basic and supplementary insurance with different companies if that is cheaper.

Alongside taxes, premiums are the biggest location-dependent cost block — the overall effect of where you live is covered in changing canton to save tax. And paid premiums belong in your tax return as the insurance deduction — see deadlines & deductions.