Compare supplemental insurance for 2025

Basic health insurance is mandatory for all Swiss residents. It meets your basic healthcare needs with high-quality medical services. Benefits at this basic level are determined by law and are the same no matter which insurer you choose. Insurers are obliged to accept all applications for basic insurance, without reservation. This means that the providers of basic insurance must accept you.

Supplemental insurance offers more benefits, providing you with greater comfort and flexibility if you fall ill. However, insurance companies aren’t obligated to accept your application for supplemental insurance, and will require you to fill out a health questionnaire. With supplemental health insurance, providers may set their premiums according to risk, i.e. depending on the policyholder’s age and gender. They may also impose .

For what and how much the supplemental insurance pays out depends on the selected benefit package. It’s best to compare different supplemental insurance policies. This will help you find the right cover for you.

There are two categories of supplemental insurance:

• Supplemental outpatient insurance: in the case of outpatient treatment, you can leave the practice or clinic on the same day. Supplemental outpatient insurance covers such treatments.

• hospital insurance: supplemental insurance policies for the hospital increase the level of comfort you enjoy during a hospital stay. This includes, for example, the choice of hospital or doctor.

Supplemental outpatient insurance may include additional cover for alternative medicine and medication not covered by basic insurance, for. Other insurance products cover the following:

• measures such as memberships and passes for gyms, swimming pools, etc.

• Psychotherapy by psychologists without medical training

• Immunisation and travel vaccinations

• Spa and convalescent therapies

• Home nursing care and domestic help

• Glasses and contact lenses

• Medical aids

• Emergency and transfer transportation as well as rescue and recovery costs

• Dental and orthodontic treatment and oral surgery

• Treatment abroad (including single-trip cover for holidays)

All of these benefits are usually limited to a maximum amount per calendar year.

Supplemental hospital insurance covers the costs of inpatient treatment. Some insurance models limit the choice of hospitals to a list defined by the insurance company, which leads to lower premiums.

Supplemental insurance for semi-private care throughout Switzerland covers the policyholder for a two-bed room. In hospitals, it is usually the senior physician who is responsible for the treatment of semi-privately insured policyholders.

Supplemental insurance for private care throughout Switzerland covers the policyholder for a one-bed room and a free choice of doctor when in hospital. In hospitals, it is usually the chief physician who is responsible for the treatment of privately insured policyholders.

Flex models are a flexible variant of supplemental hospital insurance. Policyholders only choose a ward upon admission. This additional insurance covers the full costs for general wards throughout Switzerland. For semi-private or private wards, insured persons contribute to the additional costs to the extent determined by the health insurance company.

"General ward throughout Switzerland"

General ward throughout Switzerland supplemental insurance covers any extra costs incurred during a stay at a hospital outside of your canton of residence. This is because basic insurance only pays the amount it would pay in the canton of residence. Exceptions:

• The hospital is on the hospital list of the canton of residence.

• It is an emergency.

• Treatment is not possible in a listed hospital in the canton of residence .

If the costs are higher than in the canton of residence, you or your supplemental insurance must pay the difference. Do you live in a canton where hospital costs are low? Then the "General ward throughout Switzerland" supplemental insurance is worthwhile if you wish to be treated outside your canton.

The cost of supplemental insurance depends on the health insurer and the benefits chosen. As a rule, the more benefits the insurance covers, the more you pay. Your place of residence, age and gender also influence the price.

The selection of supplemental insurance policies that you need depends on your requirements. Supplemental insurance is often only offered as a benefits package with various types of cover. This only pays off for policyholders if they want to make use of several benefits.

Basic insurance and supplemental insurance do not have to be taken out from the same provider. If this is the case, you can easily switch your provider of basic insurance. In this case, the health insurer is not allowed to terminate the supplemental insurance policy. However, you may lose a discount on the supplemental insurance.

cancel your current supplemental insurance until you have received confirmation of unconditional acceptance from your new health insurer. Otherwise, you may end up without any supplemental insurance at all. This is because health insurers may impose exclusions on supplemental insurance and reject you.

Important: the notice of cancellation for the supplemental insurance must usually reach end of September. Compare the insurance policies in good time. Some supplemental insurance policies have longer cancellation periods and different deadlines for cancellation. The information in your policy is decisive.

Supplemental dental insurance

Basic insurance only pays for medically necessary dental and orthodontic treatment. This includes dental treatment as a result of illness. If you would like better coverage, you will need supplemental dental insurance.

Supplemental hospital insurance

Supplemental hospital insurance offers you greater comfort during a hospital stay. For example, the "General ward throughout Switzerland" supplement covers additional costs for treatment outside of your canton of residence. There are also other options, such as Private, Semi-private and the Flex model.

Complementary medicine

Basic insurance only covers certain methods of alternative and complementary medicine. Moreover, not all doctors are permitted to charge basic insurance for the treatments. Further information about supplemental alternative medicine insurance is available in our article.

Glasses insurance

For adults , basic insurance does not pay anything towards the cost of glasses and contact lenses. For children, basic insurance pays a maximum of 180 francs per year. It may be worth considering supplemental glasses insurance.

Glasses insurance is usually not offered as a separate supplemental insurance. It is usually part of a more comprehensive insurance package. Taking out insurance just for the contribution towards visual aids is often not worthwhile.

Fitness and nutrition

Health insurers offer a range of supplemental insurance products covering sport, health and wellness. This range varies considerably – as do the premiums. Further information on supplemental sports insurance is available in the article.

Some supplemental insurance policies also cover the costs of nutritional advice if it is not covered by basic insurance.

Benefits for sports and nutrition are usually not offered as separate supplemental insurance. They are usually part of a more comprehensive insurance package. In some supplemental insurance policies, the benefits are covered by the contributions for prevention.

Travel insurance

Basic health insurance does not cover the cost of all treatment abroad. It only covers planned treatments if they cannot be carried out in Switzerland. Even in emergencies, it only pays up to double the amount it would have paid in the canton of residence. For this reason, supplemental insurance policies give you the option of including “treatment costs abroad” as well as other benefits. Find out more about travel insurance from health insurers.

Medication

Basic insurance only covers the costs of medications

• that are on the list of specialities

• or on the list of medicines with a tariff

• based on a case-by-case assessment (Art. 71a to 71d HIO)

Supplementary insurance also reimburses you for medications not on these lists. Different conditions apply depending on the insurance policy. For example, the medication must be prescribed by a specialist and not be a lifestyle medication. It must also usually be approved by Swissmedic. However, most supplemental insurance policies do not cover all of the costs.

Benefits for medication are usually not offered as separate supplemental insurance. They are usually part of a more comprehensive insurance package.

Psychotherapy

The prescription model has applied to psychotherapy in Switzerland since 2022. This means that basic insurance generally covers medically prescribed psychotherapy. The therapist must be recognised by the basic insurance.

If this is not the case, supplemental insurance will cover the costs of psychotherapy. As a rule, the specialist must be federally recognised or a member of a professional association. Some insurance companies require a medical prescription. In addition, the costs covered are usually limited to a maximum amount per session or year. Some health insurers also limit the number of sessions they pay for each year.

Benefits for psychotherapy are usually not offered as separate supplemental insurance. They are usually part of a more comprehensive insurance package.

Prevention

Preventive benefits under supplemental insurance include check-ups and preventive examinations that are not covered by basic insurance. For example, basic insurance only covers gynaecological examinations every three years. Supplemental insurance pays for the examinations in the years in between. Some supplemental insurance policies also cover vaccinations and treatments for quitting smoking. The annual cover is often limited to a maximum amount. As a rule, all of the costs are not covered.

Search and rescue operations

Basic insurance covers 50% of the costs for transport and rescue, and only up to a set maximum amount. Good to know: If your accident insurance is provided by your employer, it will pay for all of the transport costs in the event of an accident.

Many supplemental insurance policies cover the full costs of transport. The coverage of costs for search and rescue operations is limited. However, supplemental insurance usually covers higher contributions than basic insurance. Some supplemental insurance policies also cover the costs of a medically necessary repatriation from abroad.