Frequently asked questions about SWICA and insurance

Basic insurance is mandatory for all residents of Switzerland and ensures that everyone has access to basic medical care relating to illnesses, accidents and maternity.

Supplementary insurance, by contrast, is voluntary and provides benefits that basic insurance (also known as mandatory cover) does not cover or only partially covers. Examples include alternative treatments, fitness, vaccinations, dental care, glasses and much more. All of this makes SWICA’s supplementary insurance products the ideal complement to your basic insurance. They also include contributions towards measures to help you stay healthy, chosen to suit your specific needs.

There is a basic distinction between two categories of supplementary insurance: supplementary outpatient health insurance and supplementary hospitalisation insurance.

Hospitalisation insurance is a form of supplementary insurance and so is also known as supplementary hospital insurance. Opting for this cover gives you additional comfort and preferential access to outstanding medical care in hospital. It also gives you greater freedom to decide which doctor you will be treated by.

As basic insurance is mandatory in Switzerland, every resident must have such a policy.

With supplementary insurance, the situation is different: here, a health insurance company can decide whether to accept you as a customer or not. The first step is to complete a health questionnaire. The health insurer will then decide whether to accept or reject you. It can also decide to accept you but with some restrictions. This is most commonly where there are pre-existing conditions. Important: Do not cancel your policy with your current insurer until you have confirmation of acceptance from your new insurer.

In principle, it is possible to have basic and supplementary cover from different health insurers. However, it is worth taking out both insurance policies with SWICA. This is an easy way to save money on your health insurance: SWICA is the only health insurer that applies co-payments from basic insurance to those of its supplementary insurance, making your maximum annual co-payments lower than they would normally be elsewhere.

Basic insurance (mandatory health insurance) is based on the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG). As such, all health insurers in Switzerland must offer the same benefits.

Supplementary insurance is governed by the Federal Insurance Policies Act (VVG), which prescribes only the basic aspects of the cover, but not the individual benefits. Therefore, benefits will vary from insurer to insurer. This means that by switching to SWICA, with its comprehensive range of benefits and services, you can optimise your health insurance.

Yes, provided you are registered with the unemployment insurance fund. In this case you are insured with SUVA against occupational and non-occupational accidents. If this is not the case, please contact your local SWICA customer services team for a personal consultation. We will be happy to help.

If you are a part-time employee working less than eight hours for any one employer, then you are not insured against non-occupational accidents. Please be aware that hours from multiple workplaces are not counted together towards this eight-hour figure.

If this is the case, you should ask us to include accident cover in your basic insurance. Please contact SWICA customer services to adjust your insurance policy. Alternatively, you can simply complete this online form.

Generally speaking, you will be insured through your employer’s group daily sickness benefits insurance. If you have any further insurance-related questions, please get in touch.

In addition to the Standard model, we offer five alternative Favorit models with varying premium discounts, so you can get the best value for money and save up to several hundred francs a year on your health insurance. 

The only difference compared with the classic Standard basic insurance model is your first point of contact for basic care – the scope of benefits is the same. The premiums for basic insurance vary depending on the model, region, age and size of excess.

The SWICA basic insurance models:

• Favorit Casa: Your general practitioner is your first point of contact
• Favorit Medica: Free choice from our list of doctors
• Favorit Medpharm: Initial assessment by SWICA partner pharmacies or santé24
• Favorit Bestcare: santé24 or SWICA partner practices are your first point of contact
• Favorit Multichoice: The Benecura app, santé24 or a SWICA partner pharmacy is your first point of contact
• Favorit Santé: A SWICA partner practice is your first point of contact
• Favorit Telmed: Initial assessment by the santé24 online practice
• Standard: Free choice of doctor

You can use SWICA supplementary insurance plans to optimise your health insurance by augmenting your basic cover. For example, we contribute towards the costs of preventive care, fitness, complementary medicine, vaccinations and glasses. And we support you with subsidies if you take active steps to promote your health.

Helpful hint: Some supplementary insurance policies work best when combined with others, giving you comprehensive cover that meets your specific needs.

Our Hospita hospitalisation insurance plans:

• BestMed: Exclusive private insurance with worldwide cover
• Hospita Private: Free choice of doctor and hospital in the private ward
• Hospita Flex Private: Free choice of hospital ward (general, semi-private or private) with selectable co-payment per day spent in hospital
• Hospita Semi-Private: Free choice of doctor and hospital in the semi-private ward
• Hospita Flex Semi-Private: Free choice of hospital ward (general or semi-private) with selectable co-payment per day spent in hospital
• Hospita General: Access to all general wards of SWICA contract hospitals

Other supplementary plans from SWICA:

• Completa Top/Completa Forte: Closes the gaps left by mandatory basic insurance
• Praevita: Pays attractive contributions towards your efforts to promote your health
• Optima: Your worldwide private insurance with bonus extras
• Supplementa: You enjoy generous contributions towards glasses and contact lenses
• Denta dental insurance: Offers attractive contributions towards dental treatment and dental hygiene
• Infortuna accident insurance: Your private insurance against accidents anywhere in the world

SWICA’s premium calculator is the quick and easy way to get a quote for first-class insurance cover. It automatically suggests the most suitable package and recommends the most favourable basic insurance model for you. You can then adjust your choice of SWICA insurance plans as you wish.
It’s easy to take out basic insurance and various SWICA supplementary insurance plans online.

SWICA offers you the following payment options:

SWICA customers will receive their tax certificate for the previous year automatically by the end of January, either by post or in the mySWICA customer portal. You can download tax certificates for earlier years at any time via mySWICA (under “Documents”). If you don’t yet use mySWICA, it’s simple to order your tax certificates online.

You can define a new excess to take effect at the beginning of the next calendar year. The following deadlines apply:

• You can reduce your excess by no later than 17:00 on the last working day of November.
• You can increase your excess by no later than 17:00 on the last working day of December.

Please note that the instruction to reduce your excess must reach SWICA by the last working day before the specified deadline.

You can increase your cover with SWICA at any time. To adjust your cover, simply submit a request. If we approve your request, the increase will take effect on the 1st day of the following month. 

If you want to reduce your cover, the following deadlines apply:

• If the premium is changing: notice of cancellation to be received by SWICA no later than 17:00 on the last working day in December
• If the premium is unchanged: notice of cancellation to be received by SWICA no later than 17:00 on the last working day in September

Please note: A change in premiums by Benevita does not constitute grounds for extraordinary termination.

You can adjust your basic insurance model with SWICA and the corresponding excess each year with effect from 1 January. Simply let us know your requested changes in writing by 17:00 on the last working day of November.

If you want to switch from the Standard model to one of the SWICA Favorit models, you can do so easily during the year. The same applies to a change between Favorit models or if your place of residence changes.

If you are looking to adjust the accident cover included in your SWICA insurance, please note the following information and deadlines:

Basic insurance

• Excluding accident cover: Fom the day after the day on which the request is received. Retroactive exclusion is not possible.
• Including accident cover: Possible on the same day, including retroactively.
   

Supplementary insurance

• Excluding accident cover: Possible on the same day, but not retroactively.
• Including accident cover: No earlier than the day after receipt of the request/notification. Retroactive inclusion is not possible.

To change your accident cover, please contact your local SWICA customer services team. Alternatively, you can use our online form.

Would you like to cancel your basic insurance with us? Then you need to submit your notice of cancellation by the end of November so that the process is completed by January 1. 

Submit written notice of cancellation by post, by email or in mySWICA by the specified cancellation date. Important: We also need the confirmation of acceptance from your new health insurer. 

Notice of cancellation is only valid if it is received by SWICA no later than 17:00 on the last working day of November. Cancellation will be accepted provided that there are no unpaid premiums, co-payments, interest on arrears or debt collection costs in connection with your basic insurance. Please also note that the date of the postmark is not the determinant factor for the acceptance of cancellation.

Standard basic insurance with an excess of 300 francs can also be cancelled with effect from 30 June, as can Standard basic insurance for children without an annual excess. In this case, the deadline for cancellation is 17:00 on the last working day in March.

If you change your place of residence, it is possible to change your basic insurance model during the course of the year with effect from the 1st day of the following month. This also applies when you change to one of SWICA’s Favorit models or between Favorit models.

You can cancel your supplementary insurance as at the end of any year. The notice periods are as follows:

• If the premium is unchanged: notice of cancellation to be received by SWICA no later than 17:00 on the last working day of September
• If the premium is changing: Notice of cancellation to be received by SWICA no later than 17:00 on the last working day of December

Notice of cancellation must be provided in writing by post, by email or within mySWICA.

If you are doing military service for more than 60 consecutive days, you will be exempt from paying your basic insurance premium for this period. Please submit a copy of your marching orders (military service) or call-up (civilian service).

To enable us to deregister you from mandatory basic health insurance, we need the following documents from you:

• Confirmation of deregistration from your municipality of residence
• Questionnaire on your deregistration from Switzerland. You will find these on the Downloads page under “Brochures, forms and directories – Forms”.

You can take them into a convenient SWICA branch or contact our customer services team by phone. We will be happy to present insurance solutions offering you financial security and the best medical care abroad.

People on low incomes are eligible for premium discounts. Individual premium reductions are handled differently from canton to canton, so please contact the compensation fund of your municipality of residence. You can find more information here.

Here are some easy money-saving tips:

• Choose an alternative basic insurance model and enjoy attractive premium discounts.
• You can reduce your premiums even further by increasing your excess.
• We offer family discounts for children and young adults along with other optimisation options.
• We offer you a discount of 0.5% if you pay your premiums annually. This discount applies to any basic or supplementary insurance plans that you have taken out with SWICA. Please adjust the frequency of your payments by contacting your SWICA customer services team or using the online form.

You can reduce your premium by increasing your co-payments or claim additional discounts by opting for a Hospita Flex model. With the Benevita bonus programme, you can also reduce your premiums for selected hospital and supplementary insurance plans by tackling health challenges in the app.

An extra savings tip: SWICA offers a 0.5 percent discount if you pay your premiums annually. This discount applies to any basic or supplementary insurance plans that you have taken out with SWICA. Please adjust the frequency of your payments by contacting your SWICA customer services team or using the online form.

Yes, absolutely.  SWICA is the only health insurer that applies co-payments from basic insurance to those of its supplementary insurance, which means your annual co-payments will be significantly lower than with other health insurers.

By basing its rates for hospitalisation cover on your age when you first take out the insurance, SWICA factors the time that you have been insured into the premium calculation, rewarding you for your loyalty. In contrast to SWICA, the premiums that most other health insurers charge for supplementary cover increase significantly every five years.

Thanks to SWICA’s partnerships with numerous businesses and associations, their employees and members enjoy group discounts on SWICA supplementary insurance plans as well as contributions towards exercise of up to 1300 francs a year.

• SWICA staff are available around the clock (24/7) via the hotline on +41 58 800 99 33.
• You can also contact the SWICA customer services team via the contact form.
• SWICA chat: Our IQ chatbot will be happy to answer any questions you may have about our products or benefits. If IQ can’t give you the answers you need, you can of course ask for a SWICA customer service representative.

If you would like personalised advice, please feel free to contact our customer services team or a nearby SWICA office.

Staff at around 50 SWICA offices across Switzerland are there to provide you with expert advice in person.

The santé24 online practice is staffed by doctors and other medical professionals. It is available to you as a SWICA customer free of charge, 365 days a year for questions about prevention, illness, accidents and maternity. santé24 is also free to use if you are insured with SWICA through your employer.

How to contact santé24: +41 44 404 86 86