Health Insurance for the Baby
For the registration of your baby with the insurer, you have three months from birth. Compando explains the right model, the deductible and which supplementary insurance makes sense for newborns.
1. Health insurance for the baby in Switzerland
If you live in Switzerland, you must take out basic insurance for your baby with an insurer (mandatory under KVG). If the deadline is met, insurance coverage applies retroactively from birth. The accident coverage runs automatically through basic insurance for the baby; a separate accident insurance is not necessary.
If birth defects are detected after birth, individual insurers can attach policy restrictions to the supplementary insurance despite prenatal registration. Acceptance conditions and premiums differ from provider to provider. Before registration, a direct comparison therefore pays off.
Comparison before registration
Premium differences for children reach over CHF 600 per year depending on insurer and place of residence. Tip: In the Compando insurance comparison, you find the providers with the lowest premiums for your place of residence.
2. Insurance models for babies
In basic insurance, four insurance models are available to you. The choice for the baby is independent of the parents' model and freely selectable. Many insurers allow free choice of the paediatrician also in savings models for children up to 12 or 18 years, so the discount is preserved and the direct path to the paediatrician remains open.
Model overview for babies:
Model | Premium discount | Suitability baby |
|---|---|---|
Standard | no discount | Free choice of doctor, highest premium |
Family doctor | 10 to 20 % | Paediatrician often directly selectable |
Telmed | 15 to 25 % | Telmed initial consultation, paediatrician selectable |
HMO | 20 to 25 % | Treatment in HMO practice, often restricted |
The rules on the free choice of paediatrician are found in the general conditions of your insurer.
Many insurers enable free choice of doctor for children under 12 years in every model. Which models are available at your place of residence and which discount they bring is shown by the direct comparison by postal code and age.
3. Deductible for the baby
For children under 18 years, you choose a deductible between CHF 0 and CHF 600. For the baby, CHF 0 is usually the best choice. Check-ups, vaccinations and infections make the premium savings of a higher deductible calculatively uneconomical.
Comparison of deductible tiers baby:
Deductible | Premium savings per year | Risk of own costs |
|---|---|---|
CHF 0 | CHF 0 | CHF 0 (standard for babies) |
CHF 300 | around CHF 80 | up to CHF 300 plus 10 % co-payment |
CHF 600 | around CHF 120 | up to CHF 600 plus 10 % co-payment |
Co-payment for children
After exhausting the deductible, the co-payment is 10 % of the costs, for children maximum CHF 350 per year. If three or more children are insured in a family, an upper limit of CHF 1'000 per year applies for all children together (Art. 64 Para. 4 KVG).
4. Supplementary insurance for the baby
Basic insurance covers all medically necessary services. Treatments beyond that such as orthodontics, free choice of hospital, complementary medicine or glasses require a supplementary insurance. At conclusion, the rule applies: the earlier, the better. Insurers can exclude known illnesses for life or refuse admission as soon as they are diagnosed.
For babies, hospital supplementary and dental supplementary are the most important supplementary insurances because insurers hardly attach risk surcharges in case of prenatal registration. Which supplementary insurance fits the baby's needs is shown by the comparison of conditions of all Swiss providers.
5. How much does health insurance cost for a baby?
The children's premiums, often also called children's health insurance, are at around 20 to 25 % of the adult premium. Your exact costs depend on place of residence, insurer and model.
Costs of basic insurance
Example values per month (deductible CHF 0, as of 2026):
Model | Monthly premium |
|---|---|
Standard | CHF 100 to 180 |
Family doctor | CHF 80 to 150 |
Telmed | CHF 75 to 140 |
Hospital contribution waived: Children up to 18 years and young adults up to 25 years in training are exempt from the hospital contribution of CHF 15 per day.
Costs of supplementary insurance
Usual monthly premiums for babies:
- Hospital supplementary semi-private: CHF 15 to 40
- Dental supplementary: CHF 10 to 20
- Complementary medicine: CHF 8 to 15
If all family members are insured with the same insurer for families, many providers grant family discounts on the children's premiums. From three children, the co-payment for all children together is at most CHF 1'000 per year.
Compare family discounts
The amount of family discounts differs strongly between insurers. Tip: In the Compando insurance comparison, you find the providers with the highest discounts for your family.
6. Frequently asked questions
Calculate health insurance for the baby
Health insurance premiums for babies differ by up to CHF 1'200 per year depending on place of residence and model. Which insurer has the lowest premium for your baby is shown by the direct comparison by postal code.
