Switzerland health care is consistently ranked as one of the best in the world. But it is no secret that it can be quite expensive if you do not understand how to evaluate and plan your insurance coverage.
All Swiss residents, even temporary, are required to have basic health insurance for cases of illnesses, accidents, and even maternity. You must sign up with one of 60+ insurance providers who are registered with the government as non-profits within 3 months of entering the country. Insurance will be applied retrospectively from the date of your landing so you are eligible for reimbursements for any medical expenses you may have incurred.
Understanding Switzerland’s basic health insurance
Compulsory basic insurance is regulated by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) which is responsible for public health. It coordinates the country’s health policies and compulsory insurance by ensuring fair pricing and quick reimbursement of medicinal products. However, the healthcare system is highly decentralized, with most of the responsibilities for provisioning and funding being handled at the cantonal or at the state level. Cantonal departments of health are also responsible for co-financing healthcare facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes as their main objective is the prevention of disease. They also provide all the information you may require to do a comprehensive health insurance comparison. To know more about the health insurance comparison, visit at https://www.healthinsurance-swiss.ch/
Individuals can choose from a government-approved list of insurance providers who are restricted from pursuing profits in providing their service. The insurers cannot decline any person’s request for basic insurance and must ensure all policyholders the same range of benefits, irrespective of their income or the policy.
Compulsory health insurance covers the costs of healthcare regarding the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, including any consequent treatment. It covers all the examinations and treatments that are carried out by doctors, general physicians, and chiropractors too. You can visit the FOPH website to access the comprehensive list of services that are available for basic insurance. But the basic insurance is usually not enough to cover all the healthcare expenses that you will require, and hence you must consider supplementary insurance as well.
Supplementary insurance offers wider options, but does not necessarily have to be provided by the same insurer. Additional services such as dental care, gym memberships, homeopathy, and more, are only available through supplemental insurance, which varies between insurance providers.
Switzerland Health Insurance Comparison
Health insurance comparison is an individual’s responsibility though the government agencies provide all the essential information you will require to make informed decisions. To ensure that you choose the right insurance coverage that balances the kind of medical care you require with the costs of the premiums, there are several options.
Start your health insurance comparison with the government information provided on the respective agencies’ websites. This will give you an idea about the different factors involved in the pricing of the premium, so you can decide on the best combination that covers all your requirements. The next step would be to explore a health insurance comparison site that can help you compare current official premiums, so you can get a free and unbiased comparison to find the cheapest mandatory insurance.
Usually, the website requires you to enter your relevant profile data such as date of birth, place of residence, preferred deductibles, etc., which makes up your risk profile. You can also check your optimal deductible option to understand how much liability you should take up to keep your premium costs low. There are various filters to select your criteria when examining insurance premiums and coverage. The website then shows detailed premium developments, customer satisfaction ratings, and other critical information in making your choice. You may also use the option to apply for insurance from your preferred provider online so you can get quotes from them, and then select your best coverage.
For most healthy individuals who rarely require medical care, premiums are generally low. So, it makes sense to focus on keeping the premium costs low without compromising on the level of care that they require when they do a health insurance comparison. Another option is to choose higher deductibles, which is the minimum amount you must pay before the insurance kicks in, and which reduces your premiums correspondingly.
Though Swiss law mandates identical coverage, health insurance comparison helps you discover other differences between insurance providers and how they provide it. For example, some of the budget insurance providers take a longer time to reimburse the costs incurred for medical expenses. Or the quality of customer service, and even whether they provide direct or indirect settlements.
Health insurance comparison websites can also help you with clear insights into how different insurance providers perform with regular customer surveys. This is usually measured in terms of how helpful the employees are, billing flexibility, and even the clarity of information that they provide to help you keep premiums to a minimum.
CONCLUSION
A health insurance comparison site is a handy guide to navigate the complex Swiss health insurance requirements. Make sure you leverage all the online and offline resources for comprehensive coverage of your insurance requirements and make the best decision to save money on premiums.
