How To Terminate Your Compulsory Swiss Health Insurance

Autumn in Switzerland is dominated by health insurance, from online advertisements, to billboards and TV. It is also the time when your health insurance provider sends you your new insurance policy with next year’s pricing. But how can you terminate an unwanted mandatory health insurance? This moneyland.ch guide offers a step-by-step guide to correctly terminating your compulsory health insurance.

There are many reasons why you may want to terminate your current mandatory health insurance: Dissatisfaction with your insurance provider’s customer service, the desire to change insurance models, or the availability of a cheaper mandatory health insurance offer. But whatever your reason may be, you will always have to give the required notice and go through the correct process.

What is the deadline for giving notice?

You can change mandatory health insurance offers at the start of each calendar year. In order to do this, you must give notice about your wish to terminate to your existing insurance provider. The insurance company must receive your notice by the end of November, at the latest. Important: It is not the date on which you send your notice that matters, but the date on which the insurance company processes it. The federal government recommends that you send your notice by the middle of November, at the latest.

Good to know: Terminating your mandatory health insurance does not cost anything.

There are situations in which you can terminate your insurance before the end of the calendar year. This is the case, for example, when you move to a different premium region that is not covered by your current insurance provider, or when you leave Switzerland. You can also terminate your insurance early if the insurance company changes the insurance premiums during the calendar year.

What should I include in my notice of termination?

If you are changing to a different insurance company, your new mandatory health insurance provider will usually send you a form that you can fill out and send to your old insurer. You only need to add the missing information, which may include your name, address, and/or OASI number.

How should I send my letter of notice to my old health insurance provider?

Experts recommend that you send your letter of notice by registered mail, as the postal receipt serves as proof that you gave notice on time.

You also have the option of handing over your letter of notice to the insurance company directly at one of their branch offices. In this case, you should make sure to get a written confirmation that your notice was received.

Most insurance providers do not give you the option of terminating your mandatory health insurance online. A moneyland.ch analysis shows that out of the 12 biggest health insurance providers, only Sanitas has the option of terminating mandatory health insurance via the mobile app.

While it is theoretically possible to send in your notice by email or through the insurer’s chatline, it is unclear whether notice submitted via these channels will be accepted. If you do give notice this way, make sure to get a confirmation that your notice has been received and accepted. If you do not receive a confirmation, it is advisable to also give notice by registered mail, allowing enough time for the letter to be processed.

What should I pay attention to when terminating my mandatory health insurance?

When terminating your health insurance, it is important to keep these things in mind:

• Basic health insurance is obligatory in Switzerland: You are required to have mandatory health insurance for as long as you reside in Switzerland. A termination is only valid if you get basic health insurance from a new insurance provider. Your new provider must send your old insurer a confirmation that you will be covered by their basic health insurance.
• It is important to be clear: If you have both mandatory health insurance and additional, complementary health insurance, you should make sure to be very clear that you only want to terminate your mandatory health insurance. You have the right to keep your supplemental health insurance from your old insurance provider and only move your mandatory health insurance to a new insurer. If you are insured as a family, make sure to specify the exact family members whose health insurance you want to terminate.
• Keep receipts: Carefully store all receipts and communications related to the process. This includes the postal receipt for your letter of notice, and communications from your insurance provider confirming that your insurance will be terminated.

What happens if I forget to terminate my old health insurance?

You can only ever have mandatory Swiss health insurance from one health insurance provider. If you sign up for a new mandatory health insurance offer, but fail to terminate your old one, then the new offer will be invalidated and you will keep your old insurance.

Your mandatory health insurance will not be terminated automatically just because you sign up for a new offer. Your existing contract will continue to apply, and the new one will be annulled.

It is possible that you may be billed by both insurance companies for a time. In this case, you should contact the “new” insurance provider and inform them so that they can cancel your bills. If you have already paid premiums to your new insurance company in the meantime, the money will be refunded to you.

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