Supplementary health insurance in Switzerland: what is worth it
Basic insurance covers all medically necessary treatment. Supplementary cover pays for more comfort and for benefits outside the legal catalogue. Here is where the real gaps are, what matters when you sign up and how to cancel without a gap in cover.
- Optional: supplementary insurance falls under the Insurance Contract Act (VVG/LCA), not the Health Insurance Act.
- The insurer chooses too: it can ask health questions, add exclusions or turn you down.
- Basic insurance stays the foundation: it covers all medically necessary treatment in the general ward.
- The real gaps: room and choice of doctor in hospital, dental care, glasses for adults, therapists who are not doctors.
- Separate choices: basic and supplementary cover can be with two different insurers.
What basic insurance already covers
Before buying supplementary cover, check what basic insurance already pays. It is often more than people think.
| Benefit | Basic insurance | What needs supplementary cover |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital | General ward of a listed hospital | Two-bed or private room, free choice of doctor, hospitals in other cantons at no extra cost |
| Teeth | Only for a severe disease of the chewing system or as a result of a serious illness | Check-ups, dental hygiene, fillings, orthodontics |
| Glasses and contact lenses | Children up to 18: CHF 180 a year. Adults: only for certain diseases | Glasses for adults |
| Complementary medicine | Acupuncture, anthroposophic medicine, classical homeopathy, herbal medicine and Chinese herbal therapy, when provided by a doctor with the relevant training | Treatment by therapists who are not doctors |
| Emergency abroad | Up to twice the cost in Switzerland. In the EU and EFTA you are treated like a local patient with your insurance card | Costs above that, repatriation, planned treatment abroad |
Hospital: general, semi-private, private
In the general ward you share a room and are treated by the hospital's doctors. You can choose any listed hospital in your canton. If you choose a listed hospital in another canton, your insurer and canton pay at most the rate of your home canton; you pay the difference unless there is a medical reason (KVG art. 41).
- General ward, all of Switzerland: the cheapest hospital add-on. It covers that rate difference.
- Semi-private: two-bed room and free choice of doctor in the hospital.
- Private: single room and free choice of doctor.
When comparing, look at three points above all: which hospitals the product covers (some only a list of partner hospitals), whether it adds its own cost sharing, and how the premium rises with age.
Dental insurance
In Switzerland you pay for routine dental care yourself. Dental insurance usually refunds a percentage of costs up to a yearly cap. The maths is simple: the yearly premium against the costs you expect. With regular check-ups and no particular problems, people often pay more in premiums than they get back.
For children, think about it early: orthodontics is expensive, and many insurers ask for a dental check before you sign. Treatment that is already planned or started is usually excluded, and many products have a waiting period before they pay.
Signing up: health questions and exclusions
When you apply, you fill in a health questionnaire. Answer it fully and truthfully: if you leave out an illness, the insurer can cancel the contract and refuse to pay for the consequences of that illness (VVG art. 6).
The insurer can exclude an existing condition with a reservation, often with no time limit. It can also turn you down without giving a reason. Hence the rule: sign up while you are healthy, and only cancel existing supplementary cover once the new insurer has accepted you without reservations.
If you cancel your old supplementary cover before the new insurer accepts you, you risk being left without cover, or with new exclusions. This risk does not exist for basic insurance: every insurer must accept you.
Cancelling and switching
The term and notice period are in the general terms and conditions. For contracts signed since 2022, you can cancel any contract at the end of the third year at the latest, with three months' notice (VVG art. 35a). The insurer, on the other hand, cannot cancel supplementary health cover in the ordinary way, even if you fall ill. If the premium goes up, most terms and conditions give you a right to cancel.
If you switch basic insurer, you can keep your supplementary cover with the old one. The only official comparison covers basic insurance: for supplementary cover, compare offers yourself, with the terms and conditions side by side.
Cross-border commuters with Swiss basic insurance can also take out Swiss supplementary cover. It is most useful if you are treated in Switzerland. How basic insurance works is explained in the health insurance guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is supplementary health insurance compulsory in Switzerland?
No. Only basic insurance under the Health Insurance Act is compulsory. Supplementary cover is optional and falls under the Insurance Contract Act.
Can an insurer refuse me supplementary cover?
Yes. Unlike basic insurance, the insurer can ask health questions, exclude an existing condition with a reservation or turn you down without a reason. So only cancel existing supplementary cover once the new insurer has accepted you without reservations.
Does basic insurance pay for glasses?
For children up to 18, it pays CHF 180 a year towards glasses or contact lenses prescribed by a doctor. For adults, only for certain diseases, for example after eye surgery. Otherwise you need supplementary cover.
Do basic and supplementary cover have to be with the same insurer?
No. You can switch basic insurer and keep your supplementary cover with the old one, or the other way round.
Can I cancel supplementary cover when the premium goes up?
Usually yes: most terms and conditions give you a right to cancel when the premium rises. For contracts signed since 2022, you can also cancel at the end of the third year at the latest, with three months' notice.