In Switzerland, two people with identical basic insurance often pay hundreds of francs a year apart, purely because they're with different insurers. Basic-insurance benefits are fixed by law and identical at every insurer. Switching saves money without giving anything up.
The deadline that matters: November 30
You can cancel your basic insurance each year for January 1. Your written notice must arrive at your current insurer by November 30, not just be sent. Post it by registered mail around November 25 so it's guaranteed to arrive in time.
Four steps to a new insurer
- Compare. Find the cheapest insurer for your profile (region, age, franchise, model). billfox uses the official premium data from the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG).
- Cancel. Send your current insurer a written cancellation by registered mail. billfox generates the ready-to-sign letter.
- Apply. Sign up for basic insurance with the new insurer, a few minutes online.
- Starts January 1. The new policy starts on January 1 with no gap in coverage.
Can an insurer reject me?
No. For basic insurance there is an obligation to accept: every insurer must take you regardless of age or health, with no health questions. That's only different for supplementary insurance, which isn't what we mean here.
What about ongoing treatment?
Nothing changes. Because basic-insurance benefits are identical everywhere, an ongoing treatment is covered by the new insurer exactly the same. You're only changing who pays the bill, not your medical care.
Save more with the right model
At the same insurer, a restricted model (family doctor, HMO or Telmed) lowers your premium at identical cover. What the four models mean and which one suits you is in the basic insurance guide.
billfox runs every model and franchise for you and generates the cancellation letter, free, no account, and no commissions from insurers.