Choosing a deductible: compare the whole year

Start with the official 2027 premiums

The deductible is only one part of the annual cost. On Priminfo, enter the correct municipality, birth year, accident cover and insurance model, then compare the approved 2027 premiums with every setting unchanged except the deductible. Record the monthly premium at CHF 300 and CHF 2,500. Your annual premium saving is twelve times the difference. Do not reuse a friend’s result: premiums vary by insurer, canton or premium region, age group, model and accident setting. All basic insurers cover the same statutory benefits, but restricted-access models may impose different first-contact rules.

Know what you may have to pay yourself

For adults, the ordinary deductible is CHF 300 and the highest optional deductible is CHF 2,500. After the deductible, the ordinary co-payment is 10% of additional covered costs, capped at CHF 700 per calendar year. This means the usual maximum for deductible plus ordinary co-payment is CHF 1,000 with a CHF 300 deductible or CHF 3,200 with a CHF 2,500 deductible. A CHF 15 daily contribution for an inpatient hospital stay can come on top, subject to official exemptions. Some medicines can have a 40% co-payment, so the simple calculation below is a planning aid rather than a prediction of every invoice.

Calculate the break-even point

Let S be the annual premium saving from choosing CHF 2,500 instead of CHF 300. For covered annual medical costs between CHF 300 and CHF 2,500, an indicative break-even point is (S + CHF 270) ÷ 0.9. The CHF 270 represents the CHF 300 deductible less the 10% co-payment that starts above it. Example: if the higher deductible saves CHF 1,200 in annual premiums, the indicative break-even point is (1,200 + 270) ÷ 0.9 = about CHF 1,633 of covered costs. Below that level, the CHF 2,500 deductible is cheaper in this simplified comparison; above it, CHF 300 becomes cheaper. Use the actual premiums from Priminfo and compare other deductible levels separately.

Test three realistic years

Run the calculation for a quiet year, a normal year and a costly year. Include consultations, tests, therapies and medicines that basic insurance is expected to cover, but exclude dental care, non-covered services and supplementary-insurance benefits. Treatments are allocated to the calendar year in which they occur, even if the bill arrives later. A treatment spanning December and January can therefore trigger cost sharing in two years. Pregnancy has specific exemptions: maternity benefits are exempt, and from the thirteenth week of pregnancy until eight weeks after birth, general illness treatment is also exempt from cost sharing.

Check the cash-risk test

A mathematically attractive deductible can still be unsuitable if it creates a cash-flow problem. With CHF 2,500, be ready to fund up to CHF 3,200 for the deductible and ordinary co-payment, plus any applicable hospital contribution, while continuing to pay premiums. Keep this reserve accessible rather than relying on credit. For a family, assess each insured person separately, especially children: they have a CHF 0 ordinary deductible, optional deductibles up to CHF 600 and a CHF 350 co-payment ceiling. Also consider predictable treatment, recurring prescriptions and whether accident risk is covered by your employer’s accident insurance or included in the health policy.

Act before the correct deadline

A deductible can change only from the beginning of a calendar year. To lower it for 2027, your insurer must receive written notice by 30 November 2026. The FOPH recommends notifying the insurer in good time, no later than mid-December, when increasing it. If you also change basic insurer for 1 January 2027, the current insurer must receive the cancellation by 30 November; the postmark is not decisive. Do not cancel supplementary insurance merely because you change basic insurance: it is a separate contract with different acceptance rules. Keep delivery evidence and wait for confirmation of the new basic-insurance affiliation.