Supplementary Hospital Insurance: Which Insurance Model Is the Best Fit?

Many Swiss insurance providers offer supplemental hospital insurance that complements the hospital cover from basic obligatory health insurance. While supplementary outpatient insurance covers medical treatment without hospital stays, supplemental hospital insurance primarily covers costs related to hospital stays.

Unlike the legally-stipulated cover included in mandatory health insurance, supplementary hospital insurance offers vary broadly between insurance providers and individual offers. Which cover and services are included, the deductible you choose, your place of residence, and your age and gender can all play a role in determining the cost of insurance.

Health insurers also have the right to exclude cover for certain conditions, or to turn down your application altogether. That could be the case if your age, health, or lifestyle present an extraordinary insurance risk. In order to qualify for coverage, you have to provide detailed information about your health and medical history.

There are four supplementary hospital insurance coverage models you can choose from:

• General ward insurance in all of Switzerland

Supplementary general ward insurance covers the cost of hospital stays in the general wards of hospitals across the country. This extends the coverage for stays at hospitals in your canton of residence which you get with mandatory health insurance. You get the freedom to choose which Swiss hospital you would prefer to be treated in without additional out-of-pocket costs. 

You can find more information on supplemental general ward coverage here.

• Semi-private ward hospital insurance: Free choice of doctor and two beds per room

Semi-private ward insurance covers the cost of stays in a two-patient hospital room. It is worth noting though, that the general wards of many Swiss hospitals now only have two patients per room, so this insurance is not always necessary.

A significant advantage of semi-private ward insurance is that it may cover stays in private clinics in addition to hospitals. Coverage for clinics varies between insurance providers. You can use the practical filters in the supplemental hospital insurance comparison to find offers which cover the clinics of your choice.

Many offers also cover the extra fees for being able to choose which of a hospital’s doctors you would like to be treated by. 

You can get more information about semi-private ward coverage here.

• Private ward hospital insurance: Free choice of doctor and private room

Private ward hospital insurance is the most expensive supplemental hospital insurance. It covers stays in a single-patient hospital room. It may also cover the extra fees for having a head doctor oversee your treatment.

Like semi-private ward hospital insurance, private ward insurance may cover treatment at private clinics in addition to hospitals. Here too, limitations vary between insurance offers. Just use the filters in the supplemental hospital insurance comparison to find out which private clinics are covered.

It is beneficial to compare offers from different insurance providers, as the cost of comparable insurance offers varies broadly.

You can learn more about supplementary insurance for private wards here.

• Flex coverage: You decide on a case-by-case basis

Flex hospital insurance gives you the freedom to choose between general ward, semi-private ward or private ward coverage for each individual hospital stay. For example, you could choose general wards for short stays and semi-private or private wards for longer hospital stays.

Generally, all costs are covered when you opt for treatment in a general ward. If you choose semi-private or private ward treatment, you have to cover part of the costs out of our own pocket. The insurance deductible and coinsurance payments vary between offers. Like semi-private and private ward insurance, different offers have different coverage for clinics.

Flex hospital insurance is generally much cheaper than insurance for semi-private and private wards.

You can find out more about flex hospital coverage here.

More on this topic:
Supplemental hospital insurance comparison
Mandatory health insurance comparison
Supplemental outpatient insurance comparison