Save on Health Insurance Premiums: Use Full Savings Potential

1. How much can I save with the insurer?

Up to CHF 3'800 per year. The average premium in Switzerland is around CHF 5'500 per adult in 2026. Anyone who consistently compares and optimises lowers this burden by 40 percent or more. The Swiss health insurance system guarantees the same scope of benefits at all insurers. A lower premium does not mean worse care.

You lower your premium through four central saving paths:

• a switch to a cheaper insurer in your own premium region
• the raising of the deductible up to CHF 2'500
• a switch to an alternative insurance model such as family doctor, Telmed or HMO
• the splitting with basic and supplementary insurance at different providers

With an insurer switch alone, you lower the premium by 20 to 30 percent.

Saving paths in direct comparison (adults, place of residence Zurich, status 2026):

Per saving option, you need 15 to 30 minutes per year.

2. Which insurance model lowers the premium most?

With alternative insurance models, you receive up to 25 percent cheaper premiums than with the standard model. Among the alternative models are:

• HMO model: A health centre coordinates your treatment. You save up to 25 %.
• Telmed model: You first contact a telephone advice centre. You save 15 to 22 %.
• Family doctor model: Your family doctor is the first point of contact. You save 10 to 18 %.
• Hybrid and mix models: You combine several first points of contact flexibly.

With alternative models, your first point of contact for medical questions changes. The benefits of basic insurance remain the same. Even with saving models, you keep free access to emergencies, gynaecology, paediatrician and prevention such as maternity benefits.

More about the insurance models

Insurance models compared: which suits me?

Family doctor, HMO, Telmed or hybrid: Compando shows all six model variants with savings potential and suitability per life situation.

3. When is a higher deductible worthwhile?

Higher deductibles lower your premiums. With the highest deductible of CHF 2'500, adults save up to CHF 1'540 per year. Children up to 18 years save with the maximum deductible of CHF 600 annually up to CHF 420. The highest discount for higher deductibles is legally fixed and the same at all insurers.

With a high deductible, you participate more strongly in the costs of a treatment. In the worst case, as part of the cost participation, you bear up to CHF 3'200 for deductible and co-payment. Check whether you could bear these costs in case of emergency.

Rule of thumb for the deductible choice:

• If your healthcare costs are over CHF 1'900 per year, choose the lowest deductible CHF 300.
• If your healthcare costs are under CHF 1'000 per year, choose the highest deductible CHF 2'500.
• Middle deductible levels (CHF 500 to CHF 2'000) rarely pay off because the premium saving does not outweigh the additional risk.
• For children, the lowest deductible CHF 0 usually pays off, since regular check-ups and unforeseeable healthcare costs arise.

4. When is an insurer switch worthwhile?

Does your insurer raise the premium for the new year? Then compare the premiums of various providers. The benefits of basic insurance are clearly defined and the same at every insurer. With a cheaper insurer, you have the same protection.

Especially for young adults, a comparison pays off, since the switch into the next age bracket from 26 years significantly increases the premium. With an insurer switch for 1 January, you can newly choose model and deductible at the same time.

The range between the cheapest and the most expensive insurer is for an average person quickly several hundred francs per month. For a switch to 1 January, the termination of the previous insurer must be received by 30 November.

5. How do I save with the accident exclusion?

Do you work at least eight hours per week with the same employer? Then you are automatically accident-insured via UVG, both for occupational and leisure accidents. You can exclude the accident supplement at the insurer and save around 7 percent of the premium.

For an annual premium of CHF 5'000, that is CHF 350 per year without loss of benefits. If your UVG insurance via the employer ends (job change, longer unemployment, reduced workload below eight weekly hours), a short notification to the insurer suffices so that it again takes over the accident coverage.

6. Which family discounts exist at the insurer?

Some insurers offer in basic insurance from the second or third insured child a discount on the children's premiums. The family discount is not offered by all providers. Therefore check whether a different cheaper insurer pays off for the whole family despite the discount.

Various supplementary insurance offers partly already from one child family discounts. Here it pays off to insure parents and children with the same insurer, provided the conditions of basic insurance also fit.

7. How do I optimise my supplementary insurance?

Check which supplementary insurance you actually need and use. Terminate packages where the premiums over several years were higher than the benefits. For hospital supplementary insurance, Flex products partly pay off: you pay lower premiums and only pay a share of the upgrade costs for the semi-private or private ward in case of a hospital stay.

The premium differences between providers for hospital semi-private and dental supplementary are quickly several hundred francs per year. Before signing, a look at benefits, waiting periods and co-payments of individual providers pays off.

8. When can I suspend the insurer?

Do you have to go to the military, civil protection or civil service for at least 60 consecutive days? Then you can suspend your basic insurance. In this time you are insured via the military insurance and pay no more insurance premium.

9. Which conditions apply for the premium subsidy?

With low or medium income, you are entitled to the Individual Premium Subsidy (IPV). For this, your income must lie under a cantonal limit. You also have entitlement after life changes such as marriage, birth, divorce or unemployment.

The cantons pay the contribution for IPV directly to your insurer. Responsible is the SVA (social insurance institution) of your canton of residence. Most cantons offer an online calculator with which you can check your entitlement in advance. The amount ranges from a few hundred to over CHF 5'000 per year and person.

10. How much do I save with premium prepayment?

Some insurers give you a discount if you pay the premiums in advance: annually up to 2 percent, semi-annually up to 1 percent. For an annual premium of CHF 4'200, that is around CHF 84 per year, for CHF 5'500 around CHF 110.

The prepayment pays off if you have the money for it. Compare the discount with the interest rate of your savings account: if the discount is higher than the possible interest on your savings account, the prepayment pays off.

The amount of the discount and the conditions differ per provider. Anyone who checks insurer, model, deductible and prepayment together each year uses the full savings potential.

This article was first published on 12/02/2026