Every year around November, Swiss health insurers announce updated premiums. Most policyholders notice the increase, file it away, and do nothing. January arrives. The higher premium starts debiting. The coverage is identical to what they could have had for CHF 500–2'000 less at a different insurer — because the legal benefit package is identical across all KVG providers by law. Only the price differs. This plays out across a majority of Swiss health insurance customers every year, reliably.
The November 30 Deadline Is Absolute
KVG basic insurance changes annually with 90 days' notice before year-end: cancellation must reach the current insurer by November 30 for a January 1 change. New premiums are announced in late October — giving roughly four weeks to compare, decide, notify, and enroll with a new provider. Four weeks sounds adequate. For people who wait for reminders, it usually isn't.
The federal comparison portal priminfo.admin.ch shows all approved basic insurance premiums by age, commune, model, and franchise. Comparis provides similar functionality with a broader interface. Run the comparison the day October premium announcements arrive. Don't wait. Notice must be in writing — registered letter or the insurer's online portal with a timestamp confirmation. Verbal cancellation is invalid. Keep the written confirmation.
What Switching Does and Doesn't Affect
Switching basic insurance has no effect on supplementary VVG coverage. Your supplementary products remain in force with their current provider under separate contracts. This is precisely why maintaining basic and supplementary insurance with different providers is worth the minor administrative overhead — it preserves the freedom to switch basic insurers every November without supplementary coverage being used as a retention lever.
Coverage continuity is legally guaranteed. The benefit package is identical across all KVG-approved insurers. Pre-existing conditions are irrelevant for basic insurance enrollment — no insurer can deny you or charge higher premiums based on health history. The new insurer is legally required to cover you from January 1 with no exclusion period.
Franchise and Model: Decisions to Revisit Each Year
Each switching cycle, reassess both franchise and model. A planned surgery, a pregnancy, or a significant health event in the past year may shift the optimal franchise from maximum to minimum. A change in work schedule or location may make a different HMO practice more accessible or the Telmed model more or less convenient than previously.
For a healthy adult, the financially optimal franchise remains CHF 2'500. Maximum annual personal exposure: CHF 3'200 (franchise plus capped Selbstbehalt). Annual premium saving for maximum versus minimum franchise: typically CHF 800–1'500 depending on insurer and region. Over five years of low-cost health usage, the accumulated premium saving substantially exceeds a single higher-cost year's additional exposure.
Four Mistakes That Cost Money
First: missing November 30 and assuming mid-year switching is generally available. KVG insurance changes annually. The only mid-year exception is a premium increase notification — 30 days from receiving it to give mid-year notice. Narrow and specific. Second: choosing a mid-tier franchise like CHF 1'500 or CHF 2'000, which is mathematically inferior to either CHF 300 or CHF 2'500 across almost any realistic scenario. Third: moving both basic and supplementary to the same new provider, losing the freedom to switch basic independently in future years. Fourth: forgetting to update the insurer on a commune change — premiums are commune-specific, and retroactive adjustments at year-end tend to arrive as an unwelcome surprise.