Question: I have spent several years abroad and now plan to return to Switzerland. What do I need to do regarding health insurance?
Answer: Health insurance is mandatory for all persons living in Switzerland. That means you have to take out compulsory cover as soon as you register in Switzerland and are resident there. Everyone is entitled to this basic insurance and the benefits are defined by law. That means health insurers may not deny compulsory cover to Swiss Abroad returning to Switzerland – irrespective of age or health.
If you would like more extensive cover than what is offered under the compulsory insurance, you can take out supplementary insurance. However, that is a private insurance matter, and the health insurers are allowed to refuse cover for a certain person or to apply caveats in order to exclude certain benefits.
The Federal Office of Public Health publishes a list of approved health insurers in its capacity as a supervisory authority. You can select whichever insurer you like from this list. Each family member must have their own health insurance. All insured persons pay a premium, which may differ among the insurers. It is thus advisable to compare premiums on www.priminfo.ch.
When returning to Switzerland, you must take out health insurance within three months of registering. Your cover will then be backdated to the date you became resident in Switzerland. We would also point out that a premium supplement is charged when, without adequate justification, the insurance is taken out after this three-month period has expired.
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