Health insurance premiums for next year set to rise

With health insurance premiums for next year set to rise, insured persons have the possibility, up to 30 November, of changing their health insurance provider for next year. A comparison of the different offers and a possible change of basic insurance can thereby be well worthwhile.

The monthly health insurance bill in the canton of Zug will be more expensive next year. The average premium across all age groups will be CHF 271.60 per month next year. Although this is slightly below the nationwide increase of 6.6%, it still corresponds to an increase of 6.1% compared to the current year.

Adults (aged 26 and over) will pay an average of CHF 321.30 per month next year (+CHF 19.90, +6.6%). For young adults (18 to 25 years), the premium increases to CHF 233.50 (+CHF 12.80, +5.8%) and the average premium for children rises to CHF 87.30 (+CHF 5.00, +6.0%). Depending on the health insurance company, the difference to the current year can belarger or smaller. In Zug, the most expensive and cheapest insurance funds in basic insurance for adults are more than CHF 110 apart – per month!

Anyone can change their basic insurance up to 30 November.

The health insurance bill in the canton of Zug will be on average 6.1% more expensive.   Stock photo

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You can save further costs with these tips:

• Exclude accident cover: Anyone who works at least eight hours a week can exclude accident cover. In order to do this, insured persons must send a confirmation from their employer to the health insurance company. Depending on the provider, the premium could be between 5% and 7% cheaper. 
  Savings potential: CHF 20 to 30 per month.
   
• Choose a higher deductible: The insured parties contribute to costs of the provided services via the franchise. The lowest franchise per year is CHF 300, but you can also increase it up to CHF 2,500. The health insurers are thereby allowed to give a discount of up to CHF 1,540 francs per year. A higher deductible is only worthwhile for healthy people, however. If you know that a lot of expensive medical treatments are pending, it’s best to choose the lowest deductible of CHF 300. You should not choose a franchise for children, because they become sick too often. If you want a higher deductible, you can inform your health insurance company up to 31 December. A reduction in the deductible, on the other hand, must be requested by the end of November.
   
• Restrict your free choice of doctor: you can also save several hundred francs per year by restricting your free choice of doctor. In the case of family doctor models, the insured persons undertake to always consult a family doctor first. In the case of so-called HMO models, you first turn to a group practice in the event of illness. In addition, insurers also offer Telmed models, which provide for a telephone medical consultation before each doctor's visit. This helps to prevent unnecessary treatments.
   
• Apply for a premium reduction from the government: people in economically modest circumstances are entitled to a reduction in the health insurance premium. Information on how to apply for this reduction is available from the canton.
   
• Consult a premium calculator: Various comparison portals help in the search for a cheap health insurance. For example, the premium calculator of the federal government www.priminfo.ch, but also private providers such as www.comparis.ch or www.moneyland.ch.
   
• Cancel in good time: If you want to cancel your basic insurance, you must inform your health insurance company by the end of November at the latest: preferably by registered letter.
   

More changes than usual?
Many people shy away from the effort involved in changing their health insurance provider. But there could be more changes of provider this year as a result of the increase in premiums: a glance at the queries on the Googlesearch engine suggests that the desire to change is greater now.

Premiums to rise the most in Neuchâtel
Even though people in Zug will feel the effect of the higher premiums in their wallets, they are still doing well in an intercantonal comparison – as are all cantons in Central Switzerland. Next year, people in Neuchâtel will pay an average of CHF 33.70 more per month for their health insurance (+9.5%), while people in Ticino will pay CHF 33.20 more (+9.2%).

Premiums rose least strongly in the canton of Basel-Stadt (+3.9%). In absolute terms, however, the people of Basel still pay the most for their health insurance in Switzerland: the average premium in the city canton will be CHF 426.40 next year.