Newsletter

OCTOBER 2025

Editorial

2026 health insurance premiums

It is that time of year when most Swiss residents start looking for cheaper options for their health insurance. The new premiums are out for 2026 and it is no surprise that we are again facing an increase. The official announcement mentioned a less steep increase than the immediate post-COVID years, the general average hovering at 4.4%. However, the mathematical average doesn't seem to actually correspond in practical terms, according to an independent study. One canton also will see its premiums go down quite substantially: its residents will be paying -15% less than in 2025. See how your canton compares with others in our "Latest news" section that offers a few curated facts and figures.

Our "In focus" section details the necessary steps to take if you wish to make changes on your current policy for next year or to change provider altogether.

We remain at your disposal to explore options for 2026 and help you make the chosen changes.

Jenny Goodwin & the Inswift Team

Latest news

2026 health insurance premiums: facts & figures

National average: 4.4%
Lowest increase: Geneva 3%
Highest increase: Ticino 7.1%
The odd one out: Zug -14.7%

Number of health insurance providers: 37
Some insurance companies are locally anchored while others have a national reach.

The parameters taken into account for your premium are your age, location, method of insurance, deductible and accident cover.

In 2026, it will be 30 years since the LAMal/KVG was introduced in Switzerland. In 1996, the average national premium was CHF 128. Thirty years onwards, the insurees are paying triple on average.

The basic health insurance premiums represent the main obligatory expense for Swiss households.

The reasons behind the continued increase over the decades: the unstoppable increase of healthcare costs. How is it then that Zug manages a substantial decrease for next year? The canton will pay 99% of its residents' hospital costs in 2026 and 2027.

If you wish to see what your new premium will be and how it compares with other options, we recommend the official Swiss Confederation premium checker: Priminfo.ch →

Deloitte Switzerland also analysed the new premiums and their study "has revealed that many policyholders paying the cheapest premiums on the market will face a 7 per cent hike on average, much higher than the officially communicated figure of 4.4 per cent," as shows the diagramme below, suggesting that "low-cost models in particular are coming under greater pressure". Read the full analysis →

Sources: FOPH, Le Temps, Deloitte Switzerland

In focus

Changing your LAMal/KVG policy

Countdown

• 23.09.2025: official announcement of 2026 premiums
• 30.10.2025: deadline for your current provider to send you your new 2026 policy
• From then on, you have 30 days to make a decision be it to make changes to your existing policy or to cancel and change providers.

Basic health insurance (LAMal/KVG) deadlines

• ❌ cancellation deadline: Friday 28.11.2025
• ↘️ decrease deductible: Friday 28.11.2025
• ↗️ increase deductible: Wednesday 31.12.2025
• 🤝 choose new provider: Wednesday 31.12.2025 
• 🔀 change insurance model with the same provider: Friday 28.11.2025.

Alternative methods walkthrough

Quite often, the alternative methods of basic health insurance have names that are far from being self-explanatory. Here is a short walkthrough offering an overview of the main categories and the names you may encounter when you are comparing various .

• Call as first point of contact:
  You have to ring the telemedicine service first. This method has various names such as CallMed, TelMed, SanaTel, Tel Care, Med Call, Tel Doc, TelFirst, etc.
  
  
• GP as first point of contact:
  You have to see your GP or family doctor first. This method's name varies from company to company: MedDirect, PrimaCare, Favorit Casa, CareMed, etc.
  
  
• List-based methods:
  The doctor and/or pharmacy needs to be picked on a specific list of health providers. In this category we have OptiMed, PharMed, and Favorit Medica, for example. We can also add the HMO method (Favorit Santé, Managed Care, etc.) to this category as health maintenance organisations are not all featured per default on the list of your chosen health insurance.
  
  
• More flexible methods:
  Some methods allow to choose between a call, a GP consultation or at a pharmacy. Some also include the possibility to use their automated symptom checker available in the insurance provider's app. In this category we have PrimaFlex, FlexCare, PreventoMed, etc.

If you have any questions, need more information or guidance, please feel free to reach out.

Contact us →

A suggestion, a comment or a nice word? You can email us at info@inswift.ch. Thank you!

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