Every autumn in Switzerland comes with the same ritual: news outlets announce by how many percent the LAMal premiums, the mandatory health insurance, will rise. Whether you live in Zurich, Geneva, or a small village, every canton has its own tariffs, and everyone is affected.
Unfortunately, premiums keep going up year after year. For many families, this means hundreds of extra francs to pay each month. The good news? This is exactly the time of year when you can switch health insurance and significantly reduce your expenses.
Many policyholders pick a health insurer when they first arrive in Switzerland or at the beginning of their career and then never look back. I did the same: for years, I stayed with the same company without checking if it was still the best option.
The result? I was overpaying, simply out of habit or lack of awareness. Switching is actually simple, and it can save you hundreds of francs every year, without changing the benefits of the basic insurance — which are identical by law.
The most important date is November 30. By then, your current insurer must have received your cancellation. Important: sending the letter on that date is not enough — it must arrive before the deadline.
That’s why it’s best to prepare your cancellation letter in advance and send it by registered mail at least a week early. That way, you can be sure your request is valid.
From January 1 of the following year, you will automatically be covered by your new insurer.
Step one is comparing premiums. There are plenty of private comparison sites, but the most reliable tool is Priminfo, the official comparison platform from the Swiss government.
The process is simple:
In just a few minutes, you’ll know whether switching makes sense.
From January 1, your new health insurance automatically starts.
This is a different story. Supplemental health insurance is optional and does not follow the same rules as LAMal. You can have your mandatory basic coverage with one insurer and keep your supplemental policies with another.
Be careful, though: if you cancel supplemental coverage and want to reapply later, the insurer can refuse or charge you a higher premium, especially if your health has changed in the meantime. That’s why many people keep their supplemental coverage with the same company, even when switching the basic plan.
Besides switching insurers, here are other ways to save:
After years with the same insurer, I finally compared options. The result? By switching, I saved over CHF 1,200 a year, with exactly the same benefits for the basic coverage.
The most time-consuming part was filling out the cancellation letter. Everything else — the online request, confirmation, and new policy documents — was handled within a few days by email.
If you’ve never switched health insurance, now is the time. The process is simple, fast, and can save you a lot of money every year.
Don’t wait until the last minute: check the official comparison tool, pick the most affordable solution, and send your cancellation on time. Remember: the November 30 deadline is final.
Switching health insurance doesn’t mean giving up quality: LAMal benefits are the same everywhere, but your wallet will thank you.