Deadlines and tips What you need to bear in mind when changing health insurer

On Thursday, the federal government will provide information on health insurance premiums for 2025, with costs likely to rise again. Anyone wishing to change their health insurance provider has until November 30 to do so.

Anyone who wants to change their health insurance provider due to rising premiums must cancel their current health insurance by November 30. The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recommends a written notice of termination by November 15 in registered form or by A Mail Plus to the health insurance company.

The FOPH has published sample letters on the Priminfo.ch website. It also advises you to register with another health insurance company at the same time. It is not necessary to obtain a quote from the new health insurer before switching.

Membership with the previous health insurer only ends when the new health insurer has informed the previous one that the insured person is insured with it without interruption of insurance cover. It must also inform the insured person of this.

No change with debts

However, the insured person cannot leave the previous health insurance company despite giving notice of termination in due time if he or she has debts that have not been settled by the end of the year

If the basic insurance is terminated, the health insurance company may not force the insured person to also terminate any supplementary insurance with the same company.

Insured persons may also cancel supplementary insurance of their own accord. As a rule, different notice periods apply to supplementary insurance than to basic insurance. These periods are set out in the insurer's general terms and conditions of insurance.

The FOPH offers a premium calculator on the website mentioned above, with which insured persons can obtain an overview of the various offers and premiums. This can also be used to calculate the savings that can be made by switching to a cheaper insurer.

SDA