Topic 01 · Reviewed August 2026

KVG Health Insurance: switch correctly, once a year.

Basic health insurance is one of the largest mandatory recurring costs for Swiss households. Choosing a franchise and model is a tradeoff between premiums, expected care costs, and access preferences.

Estimated annual impactCHF 1,200+
30-year compounded valueCHF 113,400

The landscape

Every resident of Switzerland is required to hold basic health insurance (KVG/LAMal). The benefit catalogue is set by federal law and is identical across all 40+ insurers. What you can change are three levers: the insurer, the franchise (deductible) between CHF 300 and CHF 2,500, and the alternative model (standard, family doctor, HMO, Telmed/pharmacy).

Premiums vary by canton, age band, and chosen levers - but for the same person in the same canton with the same franchise, the cheapest insurer is often 35–45% below the most expensive, for an identical legal product.

The annual switching window is short and inflexible. Cancellation must reach the current insurer in writing by 30 November for a 1 January switch. Miss it by a day and you are locked in for another year.

The math

The franchise is a one-year self-insurance bet. You pay the first CHF X of qualifying medical costs out of pocket. After that, a 10% co-payment kicks in up to CHF 700. Above that, the insurer pays.

The premium difference between the CHF 2,500 and CHF 300 franchises varies by insurer, model, age, and region. Compare it with the maximum extra exposure of CHF 2,200, then calculate the break-even point using your actual 2026 premiums.

A high franchise often costs less in low-spending years, while a low franchise can cost less when recurring qualifying medical costs are high. Use your last three years of costs and current Priminfo premiums rather than a national rule of thumb.

The Pareto move
Combine the highest franchise (CHF 2,500) with a Telmed or HMO model from a low-premium insurer in your canton. Compared to the median Swiss configuration (CHF 300, standard model), this typically saves CHF 1,000–1,800 per adult per year, with no change in the legal benefit catalogue.
ConfigurationAnnual premiumMax out-of-pocket
CHF 300, standard modelCHF 5,400CHF 6,400
CHF 300, TelmedCHF 4,600CHF 5,600
CHF 2,500, standard modelCHF 4,200CHF 7,400
CHF 2,500, TelmedCHF 3,750CHF 6,950
Illustrative adult premiums. These are not 2026 quotes; compare your exact figures on Priminfo.

Which configuration fits you?

Use these questions as a starting point, then verify the result with your own costs and premiums each October.

  1. 01

    Did you spend more than CHF 2,000 on qualifying medical care in the last 12 months?

    If YES: keep a low franchise (CHF 300–500). The lower premium difference will not compensate for ongoing costs. If NO: continue.

  2. 02

    Are you comfortable calling a medical hotline before any non-emergency visit?

    If YES: compare Telmed, family-doctor, and HMO models. They can reduce premiums, but their access rules and provider networks differ. If NO: include the standard model in your comparison.

  3. 03

    Are you under 26, or are you healthy with no chronic medication?

    If YES to either: take the CHF 2,500 franchise. The expected-value math is decisively in your favour. If NO: model your last three years of costs and pick the franchise where the curve crosses zero.

CH-specific traps
Insurers commonly bundle basic (KVG) with supplementary (VVG) coverage. The supplementary part is private contract law: the insurer can refuse you, and switching it later requires medical underwriting. Always assess the basic policy independently. Switching basic should never be blocked because of a bundled supplementary - by federal law, it is portable.

October to-do (one evening)

  • Pull the last three years of medical receipts and total qualifying costs per year.
  • Open Priminfo.ch, enter your canton, age, and current franchise, and rank insurers by total annual cost (premium + expected co-pay).
  • Pick the cheapest insurer offering Telmed or HMO with your target franchise.
  • Make sure the cancellation reaches your current insurer by 30 November. BAG recommends sending it by mid-November using registered mail or A-Post Plus.
  • Sign the new contract before the old one ends. There is no gap risk because basic insurance is mandatory and continuous.
  • Set a calendar reminder for the same week next year.

Neutral references

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