1Who can switch
Everyone with basic insurance can switch at the end of the year, with any franchise and any model, no matter how long you have been insured. Your insurer tells you the new premium by the end of October.
You can only leave if you owe your insurer nothing. Pay open premiums and bills first, otherwise the switch is blocked.
2The four steps
Compare
Enter your postcode in the calculator. Look at the same model and the same franchise first, then check whether another model saves more.
Apply to the new insurer
Apply online or by phone for basic insurance from 1 January. The insurer has to accept you.
Cancel the old one in writing
Send the letter by registered mail so that it arrives by the last working day of November. The day it arrives counts, not the postmark. Post it a few days early.
Wait for the confirmation
The new insurer tells the old one that you are covered. Only then does the old insurance end, so you are never without cover.
3What stays the same
- The cover. Basic insurance pays for the same treatments at every insurer.
- Your doctors, unless your new model asks you to see a family doctor, a group practice or a hotline first.
- Your supplementary insurance. It is a separate contract and can stay where it is. Your old insurer may not cancel it because you move your basic insurance.
- Your franchise. The amount you have already paid starts at zero again on 1 January anyway.
4Mistakes that cost a year
- Posting the letter on the last day. It has to be in the insurer's hands by then.
- Cancelling everything. Write clearly that you cancel basic insurance only. Supplementary cover you give up may be impossible to get back.
- Forgetting the family. Every person has their own policy. List every name and insurance number, and have every adult sign.
5Switching during the year
With the standard model and the CHF 300 franchise you can also leave on 30 June. Your letter then has to arrive by 31 March.
If your insurer raises the premium during the year, you can leave with one month's notice, to the end of the month before the new premium applies.
Questions and answers
Is an email enough?
The law does not prescribe a form, but you have to be able to prove that the cancellation arrived in time. A registered letter does that. Use an insurer's online form only if you get a written confirmation straight away.
I only arrived this year. Can I switch already?
Yes. The switch at the end of the year is open to everyone, however long you have been insured.
Will the new insurer ask about my health?
Not for basic insurance. Health questions are only allowed for supplementary insurance.
What if I miss the deadline?
Then you stay with your insurer for another year. You can still lower your costs for 1 January by choosing another model or a higher franchise with your current insurer, usually until the end of December.
Sources: Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) Art. 7 and 64a, Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV), Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), ch.ch. This page is information, not legal advice.