KEYSTONE
Every year, over one million Swiss people decide not to switch health insurers. But if you have a family doctor and consult him first, you can often save a lot of money.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
There is time until November 30, 2025 to change health insurance provider for the next year. However, the experience of recent years shows that Only a small proportion of the population makes use of this. Year after year, the vast majority stay with their current insurer – even if switching could bring considerable savings.
According to the reports submitted by insurers to the Federal Statistical Office, not even one in ten insured persons switch health insurers. What is striking is that it is mainly younger people who take advantage of this opportunity. Older people remain loyal to their insurer – often for many years.
If you decide not to switch without looking at alternatives, you risk paying far too much. This is particularly common with basic insurance in the standard model.
Potential savings of over 800 francs per year
Around 1.4 million people in Switzerland were still insured under this most expensive model in 2023. It allows free choice of doctor, but charges the highest premiums – even if someone always visits their family doctor first anyway or only rarely needs medical care.
An example from the canton of Berne shows the savings potential: a 58-year-old man pays CHF 510.75 a month with CSS under the standard model with a deductible of CHF 2,500. If he switched to the family doctor model, the premium would be CHF 440.85 – a saving of CHF 69.90 per month or CHF 838.80 per year.
Those who opt for a telemedicine model, in which a telephone advice center must be contacted first, can save less than CHF 400 per month, depending on the provider.
It pays to compare – and it’s easier than you think
The federal government provides independent information at priminfo.admin.ch. The Foundation for Consumer Protection also maintains a neutral comparison portal, which also explains which obligations apply to alternative insurance models.
However, the numerous comparison portal advertisements on social media often do not offer independent advice. For example, research by blue News showed that false savings opportunities were already being advertised in the summer. According to SRF, there are also supposed comparison portals that exclude older people – although this is not permitted.
Why so few people switch despite this has hardly been researched. Experts suspect various reasons. One of them is convenience, as a survey by the insurance broker Comparis shows: People who have had the same health insurance company for years and have not experienced any problems with it often see no reason to change.
Many are also likely to shy away from the effort involved. They fear long forms, complicated notice periods or disputes when transferring data and invoices. However, the notice period for basic insurance is the same for everyone: anyone who changes health insurer by November 30 – ideally before then – can cancel their old insurance.
There is also a certain amount of uncertainty about new providers. Some people worry that another insurer might be stricter when reimbursing benefits or demand more evidence. However, such worries are generally unfounded in basic insurance: Here, the federal government regulates what must be paid.
blue News is therefore launching the following appeal: Why don’t you change your health insurance provider? Tell us about your experiences, your thoughts and concerns – either by e-mail or via WhatsApp, where voice messages are also possible.
