Health questionnaire for supplemental insurance: what should I be aware of?
Applications for supplemental insurance usually require you to fill out a health questionnaire. Comparis answers questions regarding the health questionnaire for supplemental insurance.
20.07.2023
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1. Why do I have to answer a health questionnaire to take out supplemental insurance?
Supplemental insurance is, unlike basic insurance, completely optional. Successful admission for supplemental insurance is based on an application. As part of this, you will usually receive a health questionnaire (or health declaration).
Your answers to the health questionnaire are central to the decision made on your application. Each case is evaluated individually. Applications for supplemental insurance may be rejected with no reason given.
Where can I find the application form and health questionnaire?
You can download the application form
from the health insurer’s website or fill it in directly online
by telephone
request it from the insurer
or fill it out by going to an agency in person.
Compare supplemental insurance and save
Do you want to take out a new supplemental insurance policy? You can request several quotes through our brokerage partner Optimatis and then compare them. You should only fill out the application form once you’ve decided on a health insurer.
2. What do I have to declare on the health questionnaire?
The following information must be provided during the health check:
age and address
sex, height and weight
whether you smoke or consume alcohol/drugs (even if it was in the past)
all completed medical treatments and diagnoses,including the duration of treatment and the doctor who treated you
pre-existing conditions
current conditions, with as many details as possible, including treatment
planned treatments such as operations or therapy
whether you have been insured by another health insurer, and if an application to another insurer has ever been rejected
What to be aware of when completing your health check
It is extremely important not to omit any information when filling out this form. Ask your doctor if you are uncertain. Otherwise you run the risk of having the insurance company cancel or reduce your benefits later on.
Do not let an intermediary fill out the health questionnaire. Intermediaries are paid for finalizing deals and might have an interest in glossing over something.
3. Supplemental insurance in case of illness: how much should I expect to pay?
Existing conditions cannot be covered by supplemental insurance. The health insurer may therefore impose exclusions. They may choose to provide only partial cover and exclude existing health issues.
The consequence of this? You have to pay for any treatments for existing conditions yourself despite having supplemental insurance.
Important: even if there is no exclusion in the contract, the insurer can deny cover for treatments for ongoing health issues.
How do insurance companies calculate risk?
When performing their risk assessment, health insurance companies consider previous illnesses as well as completed or ongoing treatments. Health insurers may not request genetic testing. However, if you already have risks of disease confirmed by a genetic test or otherwise, you must declare this.
The risk assessment is carried out according to internal criteria. A medical advisor may be consulted for an additional evaluation. Age and sex can play a role as well: older people tend to have more health problems.
4. Can you get supplemental insurance without a health check in Switzerland?
There are supplemental insurance policies that allow admission without completing a health questionnaire. You may not have to fill out a health questionnaire in the following cases:
Collective insurance: the members of an association or company are collectively insured and the members as a whole have a positive risk assessment based on age, sex and other factors.
Existing customers: do you only want to change individual supplemental insurance or have you received a new offer for new supplemental insurance? In this case, the insurer may choose to waive the health questionnaire. Consult your health insurance provider to find out what is possible.
Registering a child before birth: you can take out supplemental insurance for children without a health check shortly before or after birth.
5. Supplemental insurance with a pre-existing illness: is goodwill possible?
All policyholders are treated equally on principle. Goodwill is therefore not possible in most cases – often not even with existing customers.
However, long-term policyholders do have the advantage that their insurer has a better overview of their health history. Remember: it is always important to fill out your health questionnaire correctly.
This article was first published on 03.12.2021
