Supplementary insurance: Which cover suits which life situation?
“Do I really need this?” Many people ask themselves that when it comes to supplementary insurance. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Basic insurance covers essential medical care; anything beyond that is voluntary and may or may not make sense depending on your stage of life. Someone who does a lot of sport has different needs than a family with children. We’ll show you which cover can be particularly worthwhile in your situation.
Young and active: prevention, glasses, and emergencies on the go
A gym membership, a yoga class, a check-up with your family doctor, or new glasses: as a rule, basic insurance doesn’t contribute to these costs, or only in exceptional cases. Outpatient supplementary insurance is designed for exactly this. Depending on the plan, you benefit from annual contributions towards fitness centres, sports clubs, or swimming lessons. Depending on the product, it may also contribute towards glasses, general check-ups, and vaccinations that basic insurance doesn’t cover, such as travel vaccinations.
If you also often go hiking, climbing, or skiing, outpatient supplementary insurance can benefit you twice over—namely for transport and rescue. Basic insurance covers only 50%, up to a maximum of CHF 500 per year for transport and CHF 5,000 for rescue costs. A helicopter rescue can quickly cost far more. Outpatient supplementary insurance covers rescue and emergency transport costs within Switzerland up to 100%. Accident insurance also contributes. You can find out more in our blog post.
Families: the classic is braces
Dental treatment and orthodontic corrections are not part of basic insurance in Switzerland. It pays only in cases of serious diseases of the chewing system. Depending on the initial situation, orthodontic treatment costs several thousand francs; for complex corrections, it is often CHF 10,000 or more. Depending on the level of benefits, dental insurance covers part of this—sometimes up to 75% of the costs for dental treatment, combined with a contribution towards orthodontics up to a certain age.
Timing is crucial: once a misalignment has been diagnosed, acceptance without exclusions is hardly possible anymore. That’s why many parents take out dental insurance early. With some products, this is very straightforward for children under five, with no health check required.
Best agers: freedom of choice without the cost risk
Basic insurance covers inpatient stays in the general ward of hospitals. In principle, you can choose freely from all listed hospitals. So nationwide free choice of hospital already applies under basic insurance. The catch is the cost: the canton and health insurer reimburse at most the reference tariff of your canton of residence. If the hospital you choose is more expensive, you pay the difference yourself. This is exactly where hospital supplementary insurance comes in: it covers these additional costs, as well as the comfort of staying in a double room instead of a shared ward. Options range from flexible models—where you can choose the ward anew for each admission—to semi-private and private. There are also benefits that make everyday life easier, such as contributions towards domestic help and home care after a hospital stay.
A second topic that becomes more relevant with age is complementary medicine—whether for back and joint problems or to support people with chronic pain. Basic insurance covers acupuncture, homeopathy, phytotherapy, or TCM only if provided by a doctor with the relevant certification. Treatments by recognised therapists are covered via outpatient supplementary insurance. Depending on the plan, up to 75% of the costs are covered.
Health checks and deadlines: why lead time is crucial
Unlike basic insurance, supplementary insurance is governed by the Swiss Insurance Contract Act. That means there is no obligation to accept applicants. The insurer checks your health status and may accept an application with exclusions or reject it. In addition, some benefits have waiting periods: for example, depending on the product, you may wait up to 365 days for contributions towards glasses.
Notice periods are just as important. With many supplementary insurance policies, you can cancel at the end of the year with three months’ notice—so the letter must reach the insurer by 30 September. Different rules may apply for multi-year contracts or after a premium increase: it’s worth checking your policy.
So if you want to adjust your cover or take out new supplementary insurance, you should start now: the application, health check, and response take time. It’s also worth taking out supplementary insurance proactively, before any symptoms arise. We at simply will be happy to support you.
Fact sheet on outpatient supplementary insurance 