Choice of health insurance
The Swiss health insurance system can be very confusing. The choice is yours, but here are a few tips to help you.
All health insurance companies must accept new customers for the basic mandatory insurance – without any health checks or questionnaires. The basic insurance covers all HIV treatment costs and, since July 2024, also HIV PrEP if the requirements are met.
For people living with HIV, the lowest deductible of CHF 300 is usually recommended. People who get PrEP through their health insurance also usually save money with a low deductible.
If you take PrEP every day, your health costs will be about CHF 2,000 to 2,500 per year. If you have extra costs – for example, treatment for an STI, psychotherapy or pneumonia – it is usually cheaper to choose the lowest deductible, even if your monthly premium is higher.
You always pay 10% of the costs that go over your deductible, up to a maximum of CHF 700 per year.
If you choose a high deductible, people living with HIV may face high costs after the first check-up. This means you will have to pay a large part of the treatment costs yourself before the insurance starts to pay. Think carefully about your deductible to avoid financial surprises.
Adult deductible (in CHF)
In the case of chronic pre-existing conditions such as HIV, health insurance companies generally refuse to take out supplementary insurance. Telmed and GP models are also suitable for people living with HIV. Our HIV clients and trans clients can declare their treating doctor to the health insurance company as their family doctor.
Calculation example
HIV client has health costs of CHF 12,000 in one year and the minimum deductible of CHF 300.
Total healthcare costs
CHF 12’000
– Franchise (minimum)
– CHF 300
Remaining costs
CHF 11’700
Insured persons must pay a deductible of 10 per cent of the remaining costs themselves (maximum CHF 700 per year).
(10 % of remaining costs = CHF 1,170)
Deductible maximum CHF 700
Your costs in this case are:
Franchise
CHF 300
+ deductible
+ 700
Total costs for HIV client
CHF 1’000
Find the right health insurance
Health insurance premiums vary depending on the health insurance company, age and place of residence. You can use the premium calculator to compare the premiums of different health insurance companies and find out which health insurance is best for you.