Health insurance in Switzerland – KVG/LAMal premiums 2026, deductibles and deadlines
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Health insurance in Switzerland is compulsory, individual and arranged by you, not your employer. You have three months to sign up, and your choice of deductible and model decides what you pay. Here are the 2026 premiums, the cost-sharing rules and the deadlines that matter.
Health insurance in Switzerland works differently from most of Europe. Basic cover under the KVG/LAMal (Federal Health Insurance Act) is compulsory for everyone who lives here, you arrange it yourself rather than through your employer, and premiums do not depend on your income. All insurers must pay the same basic benefits, so your real choices are price, deductible and model.
Two changes matter. Since 1 January 2026, cantons must put a minimum amount into premium reductions every year, and the Confederation contributes 7.5 per cent of the gross costs of compulsory health insurance. From 2028, under uniform financing (EFAS), outpatient treatment will be paid jointly by premiums and the cantons.
Who must take out health insurance in Switzerland?
Everyone who takes up residence must take out basic insurance within three months at the latest, and the same deadline applies to a newborn, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). Join in time and cover is backdated to the day you arrived – and so are the premiums. Join late and cover starts only when you sign up, with a surcharge if the delay is inexcusable. Do nothing and the cantonal authority assigns you an insurer.
There is no family policy: every adult and child has their own contract. Insurers must accept everyone for basic insurance, whatever their age or health, with no reservations or waiting periods.
| Your situation | Swiss basic insurance? |
|---|---|
| Living in Switzerland, working or not | Yes, within three months of arrival |
| Newborn child | Yes, within three months of birth |
| EU/EFTA/UK national living here but working in, or drawing a pension only from, an EU/EFTA state or the UK | No; register your S1 form with the Gemeinsame Einrichtung KVG (Swiss liaison institution) |
| EU/EFTA/UK worker posted here for up to 24 months | No |
| EU/EFTA/UK student not working here | No, you stay insured at home |
| Non-EU/EFTA student | Exemption on request with equivalent cover; the canton decides |
| Cross-border commuter living in Austria, Germany, France or Italy | Your choice; to opt out, apply to the canton within three months of starting work |
Source: Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the official Swiss portal, read 23 September 2026.
How much does health insurance cost in Switzerland in 2026?
The average monthly premium for 2026 is CHF 393.30, up 4.4 per cent (CHF 16.60) on 2025. Adults from 26 pay CHF 465.30 on average, young adults aged 19 to 25 CHF 326.30 and children CHF 122.50. Behind those averages sit more than 245,000 different premiums, depending on insurer, premium region, age group, deductible, model and accident cover. The 2027 premiums had not been published by 23 September 2026, so these are the 2026 figures.
| Canton | Adults, average per month | Children (0–18), average per month |
|---|---|---|
| Geneva | CHF 586.00 | CHF 152.20 |
| Basel-Stadt | CHF 545.10 | CHF 149.80 |
| Vaud | CHF 527.10 | CHF 142.30 |
| Bern | CHF 470.30 | CHF 121.00 |
| Zurich | CHF 451.60 | CHF 123.10 |
| Zug (lowest) | CHF 311.50 | CHF 86.30 |
| Switzerland | CHF 465.30 | CHF 122.50 |
Source: Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), 2026 premiums including all deductibles and models, read 23 September 2026.
Ticino rose most, by 6.9 per cent for adults to CHF 582.60, while Zug fell by 15.0 per cent. Compare offers in Priminfo, the FOPH's official premium calculator.
Deductible, retention fee and hospital contribution
On top of the premium you share costs: first the Franchise (deductible), then the Selbstbehalt / quote-part (retention fee) of 10 per cent on costs above it, plus a daily hospital contribution. Your premium depends on the deductible you choose, though insurers need not offer every option.
| Cost-sharing | Adults | Children |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary deductible | CHF 300 a year | None |
| Optional deductibles | CHF 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 or 2,500 | CHF 100 to 600 |
| Retention fee | 10 per cent, up to CHF 700 a year | 10 per cent, up to CHF 350 a year |
| Hospital contribution | CHF 15 a day | None |
| Medicine with a much cheaper equivalent | 40 per cent retention, unless the doctor prescribes the original for medical reasons | Same |
| Transport and rescue | Insurance pays 50 per cent, up to CHF 500 and CHF 5,000 a year | Same |
Source: Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and Information Centre OASI/DI, read 23 September 2026.
So if Anna keeps the CHF 300 deductible, her cost-sharing is capped at CHF 1,000 a year. Several children with the same insurer pay at most CHF 1,000 in retention fees together. In pregnancy there is no cost-sharing for maternity services, and from the 13th week until eight weeks after the birth none for general care either.
Choosing a model and changing insurer
Cheaper models limit your choice of provider: the family doctor model sends you to your GP first, the HMO model to a group practice, and Telmed has you call a medical hotline before most visits. Supplementary insurance is optional, and insurers can refuse you after a health questionnaire.
To switch insurer on 1 January, your written cancellation must reach your current insurer by 30 November; insurers announce the new premium by the end of October. With the CHF 300 deductible and the standard model you can also leave at the end of June, on three months' notice. A lower deductible needs written notice by 30 November too.
If you work at least eight hours a week for one employer, its accident insurance also covers leisure accidents, so you can exclude accident cover from your health policy. Abroad, your Swiss card doubles as the European Health Insurance Card; outside the EU/EFTA, emergency treatment is paid up to twice the Swiss cost.
Premium reductions from your canton
If your income is modest, your canton pays a Prämienverbilligung / subside (premium reduction) straight to your insurer. Some cantons do it automatically; in others you apply. For families on low and middle incomes, children's premiums must be cut by at least 80 per cent and those of young adults in education by at least 50 per cent. The canton of Vaud aims to limit premiums to 10 per cent of the household's determining income.
| Canton | Premium-reduction office | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich | SVA Zürich, Röntgenstrasse 17, 8087 Zürich | 044 448 53 75 |
| Geneva | Service de l'assurance-maladie, Route de Frontenex 62, 1207 Genève | 022 546 19 00 |
| Vaud | Office vaudois de l'assurance-maladie, Rte des Plaines-du-Loup 1, 1014 Lausanne | 021 557 47 47 |
| Basel-Stadt | Amt für Sozialbeiträge, Grenzacherstrasse 62, 4058 Basel | 061 267 87 11 |
| Bern | Amt für Sozialversicherungen, Forelstrasse 1, 3072 Ostermundigen | 031 636 45 00 |
Source: Priminfo, the FOPH premium portal, read 23 September 2026.
Emergency numbers and finding a doctor
The Swiss system relies on your Hausarzt / médecin de famille (family doctor) as first contact, and finding one is your job, so register early, the canton of Basel-Stadt advises. There, if you have no GP, the Medical Emergency Call Centre (MNZ) on +41 61 261 15 15 gives free advice around the clock. In the canton of Vaud, the on-call doctors' line is 0848 133 133 (local rate).
| Number | Service |
|---|---|
| 112 | European emergency number; works with a foreign SIM card or no credit |
| 117 | Police |
| 118 | Fire service |
| 144 | Ambulance |
| 145 | Poison control |
| 143 | «Helping Hand» counselling, CHF 0.20–0.70 per call |
| 1414 | Rega air rescue, as listed by the City of Bern |
Source: official Swiss portal of the Confederation, cantons and communes, and City of Bern, read 23 September 2026.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Compare insurers, deductibles and models in Priminfo | Before you arrive or in your first weeks |
| 2 | Take out basic insurance for each family member | Within three months of arrival or birth |
| 3 | Opt out if you qualify, for example as a cross-border commuter | Within three months of starting work |
| 4 | Exclude accident cover if your employer insures you | When you sign up |
| 5 | Ask your canton about premium reductions | In your first months |
| 6 | Register with a family doctor | Before you need one |
| 7 | Review premium, deductible and insurer | Cancel by 30 November |
Source: Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the official Swiss portal, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Federal Office of Public Health (BAG/FOPH) · bag.admin.ch
- Information Centre OASI/DI – brochure 'Social security in Switzerland, valid as of 1st January 2026' · ahv-iv.ch
- ch.ch (official portal of the Confederation, cantons and communes) · ch.ch
- ch.ch (official portal of the Confederation, cantons and communes) · ch.ch
- Federal Office of Public Health (BAG/FOPH) · bag.admin.ch
- Federal Office of Public Health (BAG/FOPH) · cms.news.admin.ch
- priminfo.admin.ch (FOPH premium portal) · priminfo.admin.ch
- priminfo.admin.ch (FOPH premium portal) · priminfo.admin.ch
- Federal Office of Public Health (BAG/FOPH) · bag.admin.ch
- Federal Office of Public Health (BAG/FOPH) · bag.admin.ch
- Canton of Vaud · vd.ch
- priminfo.admin.ch (FOPH premium portal) · priminfo.admin.ch
- ch.ch (official portal of the Confederation, cantons and communes) · ch.ch
- ch.ch (official portal of the Confederation, cantons and communes) · ch.ch
- ch.ch (official portal of the Confederation, cantons and communes) · ch.ch
- Canton of Basel-Stadt · bs.ch
- Canton of Vaud · vd.ch
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.