Change health insurance – What to consider?
In general, a change of health insurance in Switzerland is possible without any problems. In this article, we would like to show you what you need to consider when changing health insurance companies, answer the question: How do you change health insurance companies?- and inform you about the deadlines that need to be observed.
Change health insurance Switzerland – General
In case you want to change your health insurance company in Switzerland, you should take enough time in advance to get advice on this, so that you can find a suitable new offer. Tip: Suisseguide offers a free consultation without obligation.
In general, the first question that plays a role when changing insurance is whether it is a change of basic insurance or just supplementary insurance. In the case of basic insurance in Switzerland, the benefits are always identical for all insured persons. However, depending on the insurance model, provider and also canton affiliation, the premiums for the monthly contributions can vary in the process. That’s why it’s important to think in advance about what the design should look like for a new basic insurance policy with a new provider.
This is even more true if it is a supplementary insurance. Here it is even more important to study the benefits of a new insurance in detail in the policy. In contrast to the mandatory basic insurance, the benefits provided by the provider can be determined by the provider, including the corresponding premiums. In order not to be surprised by reduced benefits or higher premiums in the end, one should have dealt sufficiently with the offers of the providers in advance.
TIP: Check premiums before switching health insurers
If you are thinking about changing your health insurance company, it makes sense to get an insurance comparison about every three to four years. Of course, it always makes sense to change health insurance companies if you can benefit from a lower health insurance premium. Even in the event that one has taken out a particularly inexpensive health insurance policy today, this may well change in the course of a few years. Therefore, regular comparisons can avoid possibly higher contributions.
Cancellation only when changing health insurance companies
Health insurance is mandatory in Switzerland, which is why every citizen must have a corresponding insurance contract.
However, since there must be no gaps in coverage when switching health insurance companies, an insured person must always have a new contract before he or she can cancel his or her old health insurance company. For this reason, an insured person must always wait for confirmation of the conclusion of a new basic insurance policy before he can terminate his old insurer. In the event that notification is not received in a timely manner or the new health insurance company fails to notify the old insurer, termination of the insurance contract is still effective. However, in this case, an insured person may temporarily be asked to pay double premiums, but these will be refunded.
Procedure health insurance change – health insurance change until when ?
A mandatory basic insurance policy can always be terminated at the turn of the year, regardless of whether a premium increase is pending for the new insurance year. Insurers are also required to provide information about the right to cancel, and they must announce the new premiums for the coming insurance year by October 31 of each year at the latest. New premiums for basic insurance must be approved by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
Until when can I change my health insurance in Switzerland?
Generally, insureds have a one-month notice period to leave their current health insurance provider for the health insurance change date of January 1 of the following year. Therefore, when changing health insurance companies, a letter of termination must be received by the insurer no later than November 30 of the current year. However, it is also important to note that the letter of termination must still reach the health insurance company during so-called “normal business hours”, i.e. one working day before the deadline. So if you don’t mail in your cancellation letter until the last business day of November, so the cancellation can’t be processed in November, the health insurance company has let the cancellation deadline pass.
However, the insured person does not have to state a reason for the termination in the termination letter. It also does not matter whether the insured was insured under a standard model or an alternative care model, if applicable.
Change health insurance 2022 – the supplementary insurance
However, if you want to cancel a supplementary insurance policy, the procedure is different again. In this case, there are no uniform deadlines for termination, but again, most policies expire at the end of a year. However, there are usually certain contract terms to consider. Therefore, in any case, you should find out until when change health insurance is possible in this case.
How to change health insurance? Change health insurance deductible rate
If you are insured with the lowest deductible health insurance with 300 francs in a standard model with free choice of doctor, you can also cancel the insurance at the middle of the year in addition to the deadline at the end of the year. However, in this case a longer notice period of 3 months applies. In this case, the notice of termination must be received by the insurer by March 30. In this case, too, the actual receipt by the insurance company applies and not the postmark.
ATTENTION !
Cancellation of basic insurance as part of a change of health insurer is only valid if you have no payment arrears with your old insurer. If you still owe money to the insurer at the time of cancellation, you can still pay off these arrears in the remaining four weeks. However, all arrears must then be cleared by December 30. In the event that this is not successful or the payments are not received until the new year, termination is invalid and the insurance also remains in force for the time being.
Change of health insurance in case of illness
Basic insurance is mandatory for all residents in Switzerland. Therefore, health insurance companies are also obliged to accept all applicants unconditionally.
For this reason, the change is also always possible regardless of the state of health or age. Thus, health insurance companies are also required to admit an applicant if he or she is receiving medical treatment.
If, for example, you are planning expensive treatments costing more than 2,000 francs in 2023, it may be advisable to take out a policy with the lowest deductible level of 300 francs.
On the other hand, in the case of supplementary insurance, a change is possible without reservation only in a healthy condition. For this reason, you should not cancel a supplementary insurance policy until you have already signed the contract with the new insurance company.
Change health insurance as a pensioner
The monthly premiums of health insurance companies often vary. That’s why retirees should also take a close look at their rates. In general, experience shows that many retirees and seniors have rarely or even never changed their health insurance.
Therefore, even after decades of insurance with a health insurance company, it can make perfect sense to make an insurance comparison and, if necessary, change health insurance companies again or choose a different insurance model. In principle, a change of health insurance is possible at any age.
Change health insurance companies when moving to Switzerland
In principle, a move within Switzerland to another canton is not a reason to extraordinarily terminate your own health insurance. Exceptionally, however, this is possible if the corresponding health insurance company only offers its services in certain regions. In this case, a change of health insurance may then be mandatory. In all other cases, the deadlines presented for a change apply.
Therefore, when you move to another canton, you often have to accept tariff changes. Some insurers also do not offer the same models in all cantons . In the worst-case scenario, this can result in a person slipping from a favorable primary care or telemedicine model to a more expensive standard rate. However, in the event that you have to pay a significantly higher premium as a result, you may be able to correct this by switching to a different model of service delivery.
ATTENTION !
If the premium decreases due to a move, you should notify the insurer of the move as early as possible. In fact, a lower premium is calculated only with the notification of the move and just not with the actual day of the move. Therefore, late reporting can also be unnecessarily expensive.
Change health insurance when moving abroad
In the event that you move your residence abroad permanently, you normally have to take out insurance there as well. This is especially true for working people, at least in countries that do not offer so-called insurance opt-out. In the case of an insurance opt-out right, which is offered by some of Switzerland’s neighboring countries, the insured person can then decide for himself whether or not he wants to keep the Swiss basic insurance. However, if you want to keep it, you should find out whether the same services are offered abroad as in Switzerland.
However, even in countries that do not offer insurance opt-out rights, it is possible to keep Swiss basic insurance in certain cases. This, for example, in cases where you have to
- works for a Swiss authority or company in another EU country. In this case, you can keep the Swiss basic pension for at least 2 years, in some countries even up to 6 years.
- one works abroad but without residence and is therefore considered a cross-border commuter. In this case, you have the choice of either remaining insured in Switzerland or in the country where you work.
- takes out international health insurance with a Swiss insurer before moving abroad. This is always necessary when moving to a country outside the EU/EFTA zone.
No matter for what reasons you are concerned with a health insurance change – we are happy to help you with advice and action! Our individual comparison of basic insurances with our premium calculator from Suisseguide offers you support. Also, you can always get a free consultation and quotes from us.
