How to Choose the Right Hospital Insurance

Many Swiss insurance providers offer supplementary hospital insurance that covers costs which are not covered by mandatory Swiss health insurance. In this guide, moneyland.ch tells you how to choose the right hospital insurance for your needs.

Which costs are already covered by mandatory health insurance?

Before you even consider getting additional hospital insurance, it is important that you understand which costs are already covered by your basic, compulsory health insurance.

Mandatory hospital insurance covers these hospital stays:

• Stays in the general wards of hospitals that are included on your canton’s hospital plan. You can find links to these lists in the guide to general ward insurance. 
• Stays in other Swiss hospitals when these are required due to a medical emergency
• Stays in other hospitals when those on your canton’s list are not equipped to treat your condition. 

Additionally, mandatory health insurance covers part of the cost of stay in a contractual hospital – a hospital or clinic with which your mandatory health insurance provider has a bilateral agreement.

You can find useful information in the guide to mandatory health insurance coverage and the guide to Swiss mandatory health insurance cover for medical care outside of Switzerland.

What kinds of supplemental hospital insurance are available?

Supplemental health insurance offers fall into four main categories.

• Supplementary general ward insurance: This insurance covers stays in the general wards of hospitals that are not included on your canton’s hospital list. You can find detailed information in the guide to supplemental general ward insurance.
• Semi-private ward insurance: Most hospitals have separate semi-private wards that house just two patients per room. Patients can stay in these wards for an extra fee. Supplementary semi-private ward insurance covers the additional fees charged for stays in semi-private wards. You can find detailed information in the guide to semi-private ward insurance.
• Private ward insurance: This supplementary insurance covers the additional fees charged for stays in private wards (single rooms). You can find detailed information in the guide to private ward insurance.
• Flex hospital insurance: This supplementary hospital insurance covers a part of the cost of stays in semi-private wards and private wards. You pay a high deductible out of your own pocket. Flex insurance also generally includes supplementary general ward insurance. You can find detailed information in the guide to flex insurance.

Do I need additional hospital insurance?

Before you even begin looking into hospital insurance, it is important to clearly define your needs and wants. Ask yourself these questions:

• Would I want to receive treatment at other Swiss hospitals?

Stays at Swiss hospitals that are not on your canton’s list are only fully covered by mandatory health insurance in the case of medical emergencies, or when the required treatment is not available at listed hospitals. If you want to fully insure the cost of planned treatments at other Swiss hospitals, then you will need supplemental hospital insurance.

• Would I be willing to share a hospital room?

A good first step is to inquire about the general wards of the hospitals that are on your canton’s list. General wards vary broadly between hospitals. Many house four or more patients per room, but there are hospitals that have general wards with just two or even one bed per room. Getting supplemental hospital insurance is primarily worth it if the general wards of hospitals you are likely to stay in do not meet your requirements.

• Would I want to be able to choose my doctor?

Many hospitals offer a paid service which lets you choose which of the hospital’s doctors you would like to supervise your case. Often, this service is bundled with the semi-private ward and private ward options. Mandatory health insurance does not cover this service, but they are typically covered by Swiss supplemental semi-private ward insurance and private ward insurance offers, as well as by flex insurance when you stay in semi-private or private wards. If being able to choose your doctor is important to you, then you should choose a supplemental hospital insurance that includes this coverage. The “Free choice of doctor” filter in the interactive hospital insurance comparison makes it easy to find these offers.

• Would I prefer to be treated in a private clinic?

Stays at some Swiss private clinics are covered by mandatory health insurance if certain treatments are required. That is the case when the clinic is listed as a covered provider for a specific field of medicine in your canton’s hospital plan.

If you want to receive treatment at private clinics that are not on your canton’s list, you can insure the cost using a supplemental hospital insurance that covers the clinic in question. Insurance providers have their own lists of hospitals and

Do I need to get supplemental insurance from my mandatory insurance provider?

No. Supplemental hospital insurance is a separate insurance policy with its own terms and conditions. You do not need to use the same insurance provider that you use for your mandatory health insurance. 

If you already have both mandatory and supplementary insurance from the same health insurance provider, you can keep your supplemental health insurance even if you migrate your mandatory health insurance to a different insurance company. This is advantageous because it lets you move to the cheapest available mandatory health insurance provider without losing your supplemental health insurance.

It is beneficial to compare supplemental health insurance separately from mandatory health insurance. It is rare that the same insurance provider will offer both the best mandatory insurance and the best supplemental insurance for your needs.

Are the hospitals and clinics you want to stay at covered?

Swiss public hospitals are generally covered by all supplemental hospital insurance offers. But cover for stays at private clinics varies hugely between individual offers. Health insurance providers have their own lists of covered hospitals and clinics.

An insurance will not do you any good if the hospitals you would want to be treated in are not covered. For that reason, it is important to first know which hospitals and clinics you would want to be treated in. You can then find insurance offers that cover those hospitals.

The hospital insurance comparison on moneyland.ch lets you filter offers based on whether or not specific private clinics are covered. You can choose from more than 40 Swiss private hospitals.

Should I use an insurance deductible?

Many insurance providers give you the option of adding a deductible to semi-private ward insurance and private ward insurance. The higher the deductible you choose, the lower your insurance premiums will be, but the more you will have to pay out of your own pocket if you ever need hospitalization.

If you gauge the chances of a hospitalization as high, then it can make sense to use a low deductible, even if it means paying more for the insurance. On the other hand, if you do not expect to need hospitalization and only want to protect yourself from the unlikely risk, then using a high deductible can drastically lower the amount you have to pay for insurance.

Flex insurance offers typically have no deductible for stays in general wards, a lower deductible for stays in semi-private wards, and a higher deductible for stays in private wards. The amount you have to pay out of your own pocket depends on which ward you choose to stay in.

Are hospitals outside of Switzerland also covered?

Coverage for hospital stays outside of Switzerland varies between offers. Some offers cover planned hospital stays in foreign countries. Some only cover unplanned hospital stays outside of Switzerland that are required due to medical emergencies. Some do not cover stays in foreign hospitals at all.

You can find offers that match your geographical needs using the “Hospital abroad” and “Full coverage worldwide” filters in the moneyland.ch hospital insurance comparison.

Can I stay in semi-private or private wards without supplemental insurance?

Depending on the hospital, it may be possible to stay in semi-private or private wards without having supplemental insurance. In that case, you are normally required to put down a high deposit (often tens of thousands of francs) which is reimbursed after your bills have been paid in full. You pay the additional fees for the semi-private or private ward out of your own pocket.

On the other hand, if you have semi-private, private, or flex insurance, you are generally admitted automatically upon request, and do not need to put down a deposit. The insurance covers the fees, minus a possible deductible.

What other benefits can I get from supplemental hospital insurance?

All supplemental hospital insurance offers include basic insurance for stays in general, semi-private, or private wards respectively, depending on the type of insurance. But there are other coverages which may or may not be included. The specific insurance benefits vary broadly between offers, but may include:

• Ambulances: Some hospital insurance offers include supplemental coverage for ambulances.
• Convalescent therapy: Many offers include benefits for recovery after hospital stays. This may include supplemental cover for rehabilitation clinics, spas, physiotherapy, and home-based care.
• Free choice of doctor: Many hospitals offer a paid service which lets you choose which of the hospital’s doctors you would like to supervise your case. Often, this service is bundled with the semi-private ward and private ward options. Typically, the fees are covered by Swiss supplemental semi-private ward insurance and private ward insurance offers, as well as by flex insurance when you stay in semi-private or private wards. If being able to choose your doctor is important to you, then you should choose a supplemental hospital insurance that includes this coverage. The “Free choice of doctor” filter in the interactive hospital insurance comparison makes it easy to find these offers.
• Household help: Some offers include benefits towards the costs of hiring housekeeping, petcare, or childcare services to keep your home in order while you are in the hospital.
• Medical legal insurance: This benefit is included in some offers and pays out benefits towards legal disputes with hospitals.
• Psychiatry: Supplemental cover for stays in psychiatric clinics is included in some hospital insurance offers.
• Rooming in: Many offers cover the costs of having a parent, spouse, or other family member stay at the hospital in which the insured patient is being treated.
• Search and rescue operations:  Some hospital insurance offers include supplemental coverage for search and rescue operations.
• Supplemental maternity benefits: In addition to coverage for semi-private or private wards in hospitals and clinics, supplemental maternity benefits may also include additional coverage for midwives and doulas, and giving birth in a foreign country, among other things.

The interactive hospital insurance comparison lets you filter and sort offers based on the additional benefits they include.

If you also have supplemental outpatient insurance, or plan to get it, then you should be aware that some of the additional insurance coverages you may get with hospital insurance might be included in outpatient insurance offers as well. If you already get a certain coverage from your supplemental outpatient insurance, then that coverage should not be a priority when choosing supplemental hospital insurance.

More on this topic:
Compare supplemental hospital insurance offers now
Compare supplemental outpatient insurance offers now
General ward hospital insurance explained
Semi-private ward hospital insurance explained
Private ward hospital insurance explained
Flex hospital insurance explained