Health insurance for young adults: what will change for you

You can now open your own account with SWICA, if you haven’t got one already. These login details will allow you to use all three SWICA apps free of charge. Below you can see what the apps can do and what you can use them for. You must have a SWICA account and use the mySWICA app if you want entirely paperless communication.

Create a SWICA account

Most under-18s are insured under what is known as a family policy, together with at least one parent. Now that you are an adult, you can get your first policy of your own. We recommend that you do this in order to start interacting with your health insurer as early as possible and gradually build up your confidence in doing so.

But you can also hold off on getting your own policy, and ask us to separate the policies at a later date. We will be happy to assist you and answer all of your questions about your health insurance.

You can also find your policy in our mySWICA digital customer portal.

If you work for the same employer for at least eight hours a week (for example for vocational training or a job), you are insured against accidents. If that isn't your situation, you must have accident cover as part of your health insurance. In this case, you will need to take out accident insurance.

You can include or exclude accident insurance at any time if your employment situation changes. You can find information on your current policy in our mySWICA digital customer portal.

In your new age group, you pay an adult excess instead of a child’s one. This can be set at any value between 300 and 2500 francs. Think about what kind of excess suits you and your current life situation and state of health.

Remember: The higher your chosen excess, the lower your premiums. If you are healthy and rarely go to the doctor, we recommend choosing the maximum possible excess (2500 francs). Opt for the lowest possible excess (300 francs) if you frequently need medical attention. By the way: You can easily adjust the amount of your excess online at the beginning of the year – quickly and easily.

You can change the amount of your excess here.

We want to minimise your administrative tasks in order to make your life easier. But there is some set-up required.

Think about who will pay the bills, how you want to pay them, and what account you want to set up for any credit amounts. If your parents agree to keep paying the bills, it only takes one click for you to use their payment profile for your own policy.

If you intend to pay for your own health insurance from now on, you can choose between three options:

• SWICA sends the invoices directly to your e-banking facility (e-billing/eBill)
• SWICA debits outstanding amounts directly from the account of your choice (direct debit)
• SWICA sends you invoices by post

You can easily change your payment method or personal details (such as your home address) at a later date online using our mySWICA digital customer portal.

Please note: You don’t need to think about point 4 if you want to stay under your family policy for the time being.

Your life situation has changed – and your insurance cover should reflect that. Braces are a thing of the past, and other issues matter now.

Take a look with your parents at how you have been insured with SWICA until now. Consider the following points together: What does your insurance currently cover? Is there anything you don’t need any more? Or perhaps something that’s missing?

We are happy to help you and your parents with any questions you may have, and will also provide personal advice in order to make sure that your insurance cover is perfectly suited to your new phase of life.

Please note: If you reduce or terminate your supplementary insurance, there is no guarantee that you will be able to increase it or take it out again at a later date. To reinstate it, you would undergo a new risk assessment based on the state of your health at that future date.

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The excess is a fixed amount that you as the insured person must pay each year before you start to receive benefits under basic insurance. Adults can choose between different excess levels, ranging from 300 to 2500 francs per year. The higher your chosen excess, the lower your premiums. Conversely, you will pay higher premiums if you opt for a lower excess.

Basic insurance is mandatory for every person residing in Switzerland and covers basic needs in the event of sickness, accident and maternity. It is regulated by law, and works in accordance with the same principle for every Swiss health insurance provider. In addition to the premiums and benefits, the excess and deductible are important factors.

Health insurance providers can structure supplementary insurance however they want, and these policies serve to supplement or cover shortfalls in mandatory basic insurance. They can, for example, cover complementary medicine, visual aids or preventive healthcare measures. Supplementary insurance can be a good idea for young people in particular, for example if you regularly play sports, would like specific benefits or are travelling abroad. SWICA offers a number of different supplementary insurance policies to suit your individual needs – for example for outpatient or inpatient treatment abroad or special preventive measures.

Under the Swiss health insurance system, the intention is for policyholders to contribute to their own healthcare costs. Under basic insurance, policyholders pay an excess, a deductible and a premium, and in the case of inpatient treatment, they also pay a hospital contribution (15 francs per day). The manner in which co-payments are made under basic insurance is regulated by law, but with supplementary insurance there is more freedom.

Premiums are the regular payments that you, the insured person, must make for your insurance. The more comprehensive your chosen insurance cover, the higher the premium you have to pay. The amount of your premiums isn’t based solely on your excess or the insurance products you have taken out, however. Your age, where you live, your premium region and your employment situation (whether or not accident insurance is included) also determine how high your health insurance premiums are. With SWICA, men and women pay the same premiums not only for basic insurance, but also for many supplementary insurance policies.

The policy is your contract with your insurance provider. It specifies which insurance products you have taken out and how high your premiums are. The policy also shows the duration of the contract, your insurance number and other information about you, the insured person. Insured persons receive a new policy every year because the amount for their health insurance premiums can change each year.

Once your healthcare costs have reached your chosen excess, the health insurer will cover your costs – but only 90% of them. You pay the remaining 10% of your healthcare costs (the deductible) yourself. If these 10% amounts add up to 700 francs within a single calendar year, your health insurer will then cover all of your healthcare costs until the end of the year.

Benefits are when your health insurer covers some or all of your healthcare costs in the event of illness or accident, during pregnancy, and also in the case of certain preventive examinations or health-promoting measures.

Basic insurance benefits are regulated by law, and cover the most important medical needs. However, the preventive benefits provided under basic insurance are rather limited. Depending on the benefit in question, there are also maximum limits on the costs covered under basic insurance.

Benefits under supplementary insurance go over and above the legal minimum and offer additional security. Supplementary plans also have maximum limits on the benefits paid for many services.