Supplementary insurance: Benefits, costs & comparison

Supplementary insurance briefly explained

Supplementary insurance is voluntary. With supplementary insurance, you can cover the gaps in the basic insurance. The health insurance companies have various supplementary insurances. The premiums of the supplementary insurances are calculated according to place of residence, gender and age. Therefore, we recommend comparing the supplementary insurances to get the best offer.

Benefits of the supplementary insurance

Supplementary insurance covers a variety of additional medical services and treatments. The exact benefits and coverages can vary depending on the type of supplementary insurance. Here are eight benefits you can cover with supplementary insurance.

• Hospital insurance

Hospital insurance is the type of accommodation in a hospital. With hospital insurance, insured persons are entitled to a semi-private or private ward. A semi-private ward means that the patient shares a room with another patient. This is a two-bed room. A private, on the other hand, is even a single room, which offers more privacy and comfort. Private rooms are more expensive than semi-private rooms. For both options, supplementary insurance is mandatory because basic insurance does not cover the costs.

• Medicines

The basic insurance only covers the costs of medicines that are subject to compulsory health insurance. The supplementary insurance also covers the costs for medicines of orthodox medicine, which is also called "medicines not subject to compulsory health insurance".

• Dental insurance

Dental insurance has a wide range of dental benefits. Additional dental insurance protects you from high dental costs. The most important dental treatments are dental check-ups, dental fillings for caries, root canal treatments, dental hygiene and for wisdom teeth extraction. The services are not covered by basic insurance.

• Emergency and accident abroad

Supplementary insurance covers the costs of emergencies and accidents abroad.

• Glasses and contact lenses

The supplementary insurances pay between CHF 100 and CHF 420 per year for glasses and contact lenses.

• Transport and rescue

Supplementary insurance covers the costs of transport to a clinic or hospital in case of medical necessity. Basic insurance, on the other hand, covers up to 50% max. 500 Swiss francs for transport and 50% up to 5000 Swiss francs for rescues (excluding return transport, search and rescue operations). Supplementary insurance to cover the gaps in basic insurance is also very important in this case.

• Maternity

The basic insurance legally covers two ultrasound examinations during pregnancy. Supplementary insurance covers the other ultrasound examinations. Other benefits of a supplementary insurance include alternative medical treatments, household help for the time after the birth, postnatal classes, breastfeeding allowance, prenatal tests or examinations, free choice of doctor in hospital, occupancy of a 1- or 2-bed room, birth in a private birth centre, choice of hospital, etc.

• Fitness

The supplementary insurance contributes to the fitness costs. Depending on the supplementary insurance, the health insurers will pay 100 to 1000 francs per year for your fitness subscription.

Conditions for the supplementary insurance

The conditions for supplementary insurance are residence, age and state of health. A health declaration must be presented for the application for supplementary insurance. It is therefore advisable to take out supplementary insurance as early as possible when you are young and healthy so that the health insurance companies accept your application for supplementary insurance. Otherwise, the application may result in higher premiums or exclusion of certain benefits. Unlike basic insurance, supplementary insurance is voluntary and there is no obligation to take it out.

The best supplementary insurances in comparison

The health insurance companies that offer supplementary insurance are listed below: