These pitfalls lurk
Off to the post office: The notice of termination from your old health insurance company must arrive on time.
Picture: Keystone
Health insurance premiums will rise again in 2026. If you want to change insurer or adjust your deductible and model, you have to meet deadlines – and settle outstanding bills on time.
Deadlines for changing health insurer
- Notice of termination of basic insurance must be received by the old insurer by November 30 at the latest.
- A change is particularly worthwhile with a higher deductible or alternative models such as GP or Telmed.
- Supplementary insurance policies have their own notice periods, which are specified in the contract.
Rising health insurance premiums are causing many policyholders to think: is it worth switching? The federal government’s premium calculator (Priminfo) provides an overview.
There you can enter your age, place of residence and desired model – and compare the most favorable offers. Private platforms such as Comparis or Moneyland also provide an overview.
blue News tells you what you need to bear in mind if you want to switch insurers.
First of all, you need to clarify whether it’s worth switching at all. The federal government’s premium calculator, for example, provides an overview of the price models of the individual health insurance companies. There you can enter your age, your place of residence and your preferred insurance model and receive a list of the cheapest offers.
There are also private providers, such as Moneyland or Comparis, that allow you to compare prices.
Generally speaking, it is relatively easy to save money with the amount of the deductible. There are different levels between 300 and 2,500 francs. The higher the deductible, the lower the monthly premiums.
However, if you opt for a high deductible, you should have enough money on the side in case health costs unexpectedly arise.
If you want to switch but haven’t yet sent in your notice of termination, you need to act quickly. The notice of termination must be received by the old health insurance company by November 30 at the latest. A postmark with a November date alone is not enough.
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) actually recommends sending the notice of termination by November 15 by A Mail and registered mail. This way you have proof that you have given notice of termination within the deadline.
You can find sample letters for terminating basic insurance on Priminfo (a website of the FOPH), among others, and Comparis also has a template for terminating supplementary insurance.
In addition, insured persons must register with a new health insurance company. This should be done by the end of December at the latest – otherwise there may be a delay in the changeover, during which you will remain insured with the old insurer.
This is because membership with the old health insurance company only ends when the new health insurance company has informed the insured person and the old health insurance company of the change and confirmed that there is no interruption in insurance cover.
You can find a sample letter for registering with a new health insurance company at Priminfo, among other places.
As basic insurance is compulsory, a health insurance company must accept you as a new customer. In the case of supplementary insurance, however, they can refuse.
If you have debts with your health insurance company, you cannot switch. You must therefore have settled all outstanding bills before December 31. It is therefore advisable to do this before Christmas to be on the safe side.
The exception is outstanding invoices for which you have not received a reminder by November 30. You can still pay these after the turn of the year.
Only change model or franchise
You don’t necessarily have to switch to another health insurance company to save money. Adjustments with your old insurer can also pay off.
It’s relatively easy to save money by changing the level of your deductible. There are different levels between 300 and 2,500 francs. The higher the deductible, the lower the monthly premiums.
However, if you opt for a high deductible, you should have enough money on the side in case health costs unexpectedly arise.
If you want to lower your deductible, you must inform your health insurance company in writing by November 30 at the latest. If you want to increase your deductible, you must do so in writing by December 31.
Changing your insurance model can also save you money: You must notify your health insurance company of this change in writing by November 30.
Compared to the standard model with free choice of doctor, you will receive lower premiums with the family doctor model, HMO model or Telmed model.
And what about supplementary insurance?
As a rule, different notice periods apply to supplementary insurance than to basic insurance. You can find the exact conditions in your insurer’s general terms and conditions of insurance.
By the way: You don’t have to have basic insurance and supplementary insurance with the same health insurance company. And children can also be insured with a different health insurer to their parents.
