Swiss Mandatory Health Insurance Premiums for 2025 increases by 6% on average

Family, Education, Health and Pets
42

Switzerland really needs to tackle medicine pricing.

A personal example; my doctor prescribes me a medicine that on Jan 1 was dropped off the list of medicines that must be paid by the KK.

Now I have to pay myself so for a three-month supply of the generic version I pay between CHF 220 and 240. If I get a prescription and take it to Germany then I pay 54 euros for the same brand, when I claim the tax back then it is less than CHF45.
Crazy Swiss prices.

43

Hello!

I am also switching this year for the first time as the increases have become notable.

I’ve heard about issues in this process from real life co-workers and I’ve also read about similar issues on-line:

  • the new insurer failing to handle cancellation on one’s behalf with the old insurer
  • the new insurer failing to transmit the new policy on one’s behalf to the old insurer
  • the old insurer failing to process any of the above on time (i.e. “it’s lost in the system”)

Questions:

  • I’ve let my new insurer handle the cancellation on my behalf and I’ve also sent a registered mail to cancel it myself to be safe – is it fine or I am going to annoy someone? I think cancellation is sort of “idempotent”? =)
  • I’m planning to send a new policy myself as well just in case – is it worth it or in this case it’s always the new insurer who must do it?
  • Would the old insurer handle the end year docs properly even if I cancel? I am normally relying on it for filling in taxes although there’s no real impact on them, just pro forma.
44

As long as you send your old insurer a letter yourself, then you should be fine.

45

And send it Registered mail.

46

I had a quick look on Comparis and reached the conclusion to stay where I am with Sympany. Even on Comparis a new contract with the same company was more expensive. It’s like being in jail. In all my years here until now, I have never had a medical payment that did not come out of my own pocket * sigh*

47

I would expect that you can do that online nowadays, at least with the big insurers. Save yourself the hassle with letters as there’s plenty of time, having confirmation of your notice (which you should receive in a few days) is good enough. You can resort to registered mail later if this doesn’t work.

After that it’s your new insurer’s job to confirm the change. Chose your new insurance before December 15 to make sure there’s enough time.

As for open bills keeping you in the old insurance, that applies to bills for which you’ve received a “Mahnung” (reminder) by November 30.
https://www.priminfo.admin.ch/de/zahlen-und-fakten/wechsel

48

Just got the 2025 premium offer from my insurer, Swica, and it’s 3% lower than 2024!

Mind you 2024 was up 13% on 2023…

49

Our Swica went up less than 3%. CHF 300 franchise, non binding telmed model. Not really worth the effort to change.

50

Seriously? I’m with swica too and now you got my hopes up!
Which canton do you live in?

Ah, Edot. Your near me if I remember correctly. So up after all. Still didn’t get the info from swica and don’t bother to check on comparis as in the end the amount there is never the amount swica demands (very strange, really).
Sounds like I also won’t bother to change, swica treats me well for years now.

51

Yup, same general residence area. We got an email this week and I had to sift through the crap in the online portal. I sort of wish they were less obtuse with the grand total, but I found it. We’ve been reasonably happy with Swica, telmed is useful, not intrusive. I think we’ve had Swica since 2012.

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52

Canton ZH. SWICA informed by email that it was on their app last evening (17.10.24)…

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53

IMHO one should compare not only an increase relatively to the prev year but also relatively to a similar model in a comparable reputation wise insurance company, then the difference could be more apparent over the past few years together with the current increase.

54

One thing about Swica not so cheap but excellent customer service out of 3 I tried so far.

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55

Mine dropped. Just by a few franks but mentally one could say by 6+% :joy:

Guess the reason why I believe in miracles is because they keep happening to me. It’s a matter of noticing them.

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56

I remember my first monthly premium, roughly ~10 years ago, compared to current one I can extrapolate that the premium was rising by 5% every year. Assuming the general trend continues, ~5% a year, in 20 years the premium will reach the level of the (current) rent :astonished:

I have no idea if everything is going to be subject to such inflation, but I definitely don’t see how health insurance costs could suddenly freeze

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57

Maybe we are seeing the impact of the post-dotcom crash, post-GFC money printing leading to inflation?

58

Not in Switzerland.

As of October 2024, Switzerland’s Money Supply M2 stood at approximately 1,086.9 billion USD, showing a slight decrease from 1,109.4 billion USD in September 2024. In local currency (CHF), M2 rose to 952,486 million CHF in November 2024 from 940,256 million CHF in October. Historically, M2 peaked at 1,218.9 billion USD in December 2020 and reached a low of 70.1 billion USD in February 1985.

The CHFs appreciation against the USD suggests an actual shrinkage in M2/1.

59

Yes, but pricing is local and the money supply in CHF actually increased. Having said that, at 1.1% average annual inflation in 2024, we shouldn’t really be complaining much.

60

If only Krankenkasse price increases were tied to inflation

61

Well, they are, but “core” inflation is not what the Krankenkasse is most exposed to, rather to the increase of cost of healthcare. Apparently, the inflation of healthcare in Switzerland is rising multiple times faster than “normal” inflation.
Also, if you consider that the health insurance premiums are not included in the CPI, then you can argue that the CPI in Switzerland is somehow artificially lowered as its compulsory, but excluded.