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The Swiss healthcare system provides patients with very high-quality care, but it is also one of the most expensive in the world. For this reason, the Confederation requires all its citizens and residents to take out basic health insurance with the country's private insurers. This solution, however, is seldom sufficient and can be supplemented by additional health insurance.
Switzerland does not have a universal social security system, but its Federal Law on Compulsory Health Care (LAMal) requires all its citizens and residents to be covered by basic health insurance taken out with one of the country's private health insurers. Expatriates in Switzerland have a period of 3 months after their arrival to take out their coverage.
This basic insurance must cover minimum healthcare requirements, including:
General practitioner and specialist consultations provided by doctors in the insured person's canton of residence
Hospitalisation in any of the establishments included on the list of approved institutions of the canton of residence (or any other institution in case of emergency)
Certain preventative examinations
Medications
Accident-related care is generally excluded from basic insurance; extended coverage must be taken out to cover it, unless the insured already benefits from it through their employer. Hospital accommodation in a double or single room, dental care and vision care are also optional benefits.
Swiss insurance policies operate on the basis of annual deductibles (from 300 to 2,500 Swiss francs for an adult) and copayments (deductions from reimbursed costs): the higher the deductible, the lower the insurance premium. In exchange for certain restrictions, some insurance models allow for the cost of contributions to be reduced even further: for example, the “family doctor” model (which involves choosing a general practitioner without being able to change it) or the HMO model (Health Maintenance Organisation, which involves consulting within the health network assigned by one's local insurance).
> Good to know: The website of the Federal Office of Public Health offers a very precise premium calculator, which allows you to assess the amount of your contributions according to several criteria (canton, insurer, age of the insured, accident option, insurance model etc.).
The restrictions of compulsory basic insurance in Switzerland often means insured persons to take out supplementary health coverage in order to be better reimbursed. These extended benefits can be:
Sometimes funded by employers
Acquired individually from a Swiss insurer
Acquired individually from an international insurer
The third option is often chosen by expats in Switzerland, as it allows them to be covered in the different Swiss cantons as well as in other European countries, and to benefit from many specific advantages.
Examples of reimbursements with MyHealth International COMFORT in relation to the cost of care in Switzerland in the private sector, before coverage by basic and/or supplementary insurance*
*Reasonable costs in the private sector, APRIL International data 01/2022
Although based on very liberal principles, insured persons can rest assured that the Swiss health system is very transparent, particularly with regard to their choice of hospitals.
The Federal Office of Public Health offers various tools to provide information on these institutions, helping you to assess their quality (depending on their location, specialities, patient satisfaction, etc.); for example, on sites such as Quel-hopital.ch or Hostofinder.ch.
The official hospital-rates monitoring website provides information on the rates charged by each institution (and according to the prices negotiated by each insurer) for the 20 most common hospital treatments.
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1. I look for the cover that suits my situation and choose my options.
2. I request a quote online and sign it electronically.
3. I download the Easy Claim app and take advantage of all my online services.
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