Can Family Discounts for Health Insurance Save You Money?

The cost of mandatory health insurance hits families particularly hard because a separate premium is charged for each person – including each child. From that perspective, family discounts that lower the premiums for children and thus reduce the financial burden can seem very attractive. But do family health insurance discounts really pay off?

Which family discounts apply to mandatory health insurance?

There is no unified system of family discounts for Swiss health insurance. Unlike many other countries, children in Switzerland are not automatically covered by their parents' health insurance. But there are many Swiss health insurance companies that have discount premiums from the third child.

Comparing mandatory health insurance premiums for each age group individually is advantageous. The health insurance savings tips for individuals also apply to families.

This article only deals with basic, mandatory Swiss health insurance. But it is worth noting that family discounts for voluntary, supplemental health insurance are even more common.

Which Swiss health insurance providers offer family discounts?

About half of all Swiss health insurance companies offer family discounts for basic health insurance. Many others do not, including the two largest insurers CSS and Helsana.

Almost all insurers that offer family discounts only apply them from the third child onwards. Parents must pay full premiums for the first two children. Two insurers have exceptions: Assura already grants discounts from the second child onwards, and the discount applies to all children. Groupe Mutuel also grants the discount for all children, but only if there are at least three children.

Important to know: Health insurance premiums for children are calculated based on actual healthcare costs. That is why premiums for children are much lower than for adults.

The following table shows which of the twelve largest insurers offer family discounts.

In addition, many smaller health insurance providers also offer discounts from the third child onwards, including Agrisano, EGK, Aquilana and Sodalis.

Does the whole family need to be insured with the same provider?

Family discounts generally apply once at least three children are insured with the same company. But there is no requirement for the parents to also be insured with that same company.

Do family discounts really pay off?

Careful calculations show that the effect is usually minor. The key is not the discounts themselves, but the actual premiums you have to pay.

Families should always compare total costs – even if an insurer does not offer family discounts. If you can save with a discount, that is good. But often, another offer without discounts ends up being cheaper overall.

More on this topic:
Compare Swiss mandatory health insurance offers now
Compare Swiss supplemental health insurance offers now
How to cut the cost of health insurance in Switzerland