Health insurance premiums to rise by 4.4% in 2026
In 2026, health insurance premiums will rise by an average of 4.4%. Comparis health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly puts the increase into perspective.
23.09.2025
Adobe Stock / Stock photos-MG
1. Smaller premium increase than the last three years
From 2023 to 2025, health insurance premiums rose sharply. Health insurance premiums will also rise in 2026 – albeit less sharply. On average, policyholders will pay 4.4% more for their premiums.
You can save on premiums by comparing health insurers.
The average premium increase of 4.4% does not mean that your premium will increase by the same amount. Depending on your place of residence, health insurance model and deductible, your premium may also change to a greater or lesser extent.
If you compare different health insurers, you can control the amount of the increase yourself. By switching your health insurer, you can sometimes save several thousand francs – even if your premium does not increase, but you are currently with an expensive health insurer.
In the Comparis health insurance comparison, you can see the premiums and customer satisfaction of the various providers at a glance – making it easy to choose the right health insurance.
Comparis forecast for the increase in health insurance premiums
At the end of May, Comparis health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly makes a forecast of how health insurance premiums will change in the coming year and predicts a premium increase of 4% for 2026.
The forecast is based on the forecast for the increase in total health costs as well as on the cost development of the medical services covered by the basic insurance. According to Comparis and the ETH Centre for Economic Research (KOF), they rose by 4.4% in 2024. In 2025, health costs are expected to increase by 3.7%. For 2026, the forecast is for an increase of 3.4%.
Because the benefits catalogue of basic insurance is constantly being expanded, costs and premiums of basic insurance are rising faster than total health costs.
In addition to rising health costs, the financial situation of the individual health insurers also has an impact on the premium forecast. The medical services used, which are covered by basic insurance, as well as their price development, are also taken into account.
2. Overview: Development of health insurance premiums in Switzerland
The graph shows the development of health insurance premiums since 2000, with the average value for the whole of Switzerland and for adults.
The table provides an overview of the development of health insurance premiums since 2016.
| Year | Change compared to the previous year |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.4% (model calculation by the FOPH, definitive figure not yet known) |
| 2025 | 6% (model calculation by the FOPH, definitive figure not yet known) |
| 2024 | 8.1% |
| 2023 | 5.4% |
| 2022 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.1% |
| 2018 | 3.7% |
| 2017 | 4.8% |
| 2016 | 4.8% |
Source: FOPH overview, FOPH media release 2024, FOPH media release 2025
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) calculates the average premium using the following formula: All premiums paid in Switzerland divided by the total number of insured persons. This means that to calculate the actual average premium, the FOPH must know how much the insured persons paid during the premium year.
The average premium increase announced when the premiums are published is a forecast. This is based on the insurers’ estimates of changes in the insured population. If these changes differ from those expected, the amount of the increase will also change.
This means: the premium change announced on the FOPH publication day compared with the previous year usually does not correspond to the actual change. For example, when the increase is higher, more people adjust their health insurance. As a result, the actual premium increase is lower.
3. Why are health insurance premiums rising?
According to Comparis health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly, the main reason for the sharp rise in premiums in recent years was the politically enforced reduction of health insurers’ reserves. Without this, premiums would have risen by about 3% annually between 2018 and 2025 – and would have continued to do so.
In 2026, premiums will increase by 4.4%. For this, Schneuwly sees three reasons.
1. Delayed impact of inflation
Inflation has a delayed effect on the cost of insured medical services.
Prices for medicines and medical technology products, as well as the rates for medical and other healthcare services, are adjusted to rising raw material prices and wages with a delay. As a result, the inflation of recent years is only now affecting premiums.
2. More medical services consumed
Policyholders are using more medical services that are covered by basic insurance.
More services have been billed to the health insurer than before the pandemic because more people with diffuse complaints are being examined.
3. Expansion of the benefits catalogue
More and more benefits are being included in the basic insurance benefits catalogue. These include, for example:
Psychotherapeutic services provided by psychologists
Podiatry (medical foot care)
Care for relatives
According to a Comparis survey, the majority of people in Switzerland reject a reduction in insurance coverage. «Everyone wants more benefits in basic insurance, but hardly anyone wants to pay more», says Comparis health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly.
This article was first published on 27.09.2016
