Semi-private insurance: what does this mean?

1. What is semi-private insurance?

Semi-private insurance refers to the supplemental hospital insurance offered by health insurers. It covers extended hospital benefits.

During an inpatient hospital stay, semi-private insurance policyholders usually share the hospital room with only one other person – hence the term semi-private.

2. What does semi-private hospital insurance cover?

The exact benefits of semi-private supplemental hospital insurance depend on the health insurer. People with semi-private insurance are usually entitled to:

• payment for a two-bed room

• free choice of doctor

• free choice of hospital throughout Switzerland (including outside their canton of residence)

• treatment by a senior or attending physician

• additional benefits such as spa treatments, emergency and transfer transportation, household help and home care

3. Semi-private insurance: what are the benefits?

Whether or not semi-private insurance makes sense depends on your personal requirements. Is it important to you that more benefits are available in the event of illness? Then it may be worth taking out semi-private hospital insurance. 

The following are the pros and cons of semi-private hospital insurance compared with the general ward covered by basic insurance:

Advantages of semi-private insurance:

• free choice of hospital doctor if possible (sometimes not possible, e.g. in emergencies)

• free choice of hospital throughout Switzerland: a collective agreement with the health insurance company is a prerequisite for this

• treatment by a senior or attending physician

• say in setting dates for elective procedures

• greater comfort (accommodation in a twin room instead of a shared room with three or more patients, e.g. à la carte meals)

Disadvantages of semi-private hospital insurance:

• higher premiums compared to basic insurance

• free choice of doctor not possible in some cases

• choice of hospital partially limited

• comfort is often only marginally higher than in the general ward

• no guarantee of a two-bed room (for example, if they are all occupied)

• two-tier medical treatment is prohibited: where medically necessary, a senior physician or head physician will also treat patients in the general ward

• qualifying periods for individual services possible

4. How much does semi-private hospital insurance cost?

The premiums depend largely on the following factors:

• Chosen deductible

• Canton of residence

• Age

• Health insurer

The monthly premium for a 30-year-old woman from Winterthur is between 51 and 153 francs. Compare supplemental insurance on Comparis for a better cost estimate.