Swiss Health Insurance Premiums 2027: The Official Figures

1. The official 2027 figures

Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider presented the approved premiums together with Anne Lévy, director of the BAG. Insurers calculate the premiums and the BAG checks them in detail against the legal requirements, asking for adjustments where necessary. The average monthly premium across all insured people will be CHF 412, an increase of 5.0% or CHF 19.70 on 2026. The federal press release notes that this matches the expected cost growth over the same period (EDI / BAG).

Source: EDI / BAG press release. One thing to get right about the headline number: the average is calculated by adding up all premiums paid in Switzerland and dividing by the number of insured people, so it is averaged across everyone insured, children included. If you are an adult, CHF 487.60 is the fairer benchmark. Your actual premium depends on where you live, your age, your deductible, your insurer and your insurance model.

For context, this is how the yearly increase has moved:

Source: RTS. After two years of smaller increases the trend has turned up again, and a percentage on a higher base means more francs each year: CHF 19.70 a month is about CHF 236 a year for every insured person on the average premium.

2. Why premiums rise again

In every canton, premiums must cover the expected costs of each insured person, so they follow cost growth. The federal press release names the main drivers: more treatments, medical and technological progress and the ageing of the population. Costs per sick person are rising mainly because of the number of treatments, while how often people fall ill stays relatively stable. A growing supply of care and greater use of it reinforce each other. Since 2024, price increases have been added, notably higher cantonal tariffs in outpatient and inpatient care (EDI / BAG).

Source: EDI / BAG press release. The BAG says no sign currently points to a slowdown in the trend. The 2026 figure is uncertain because many invoices are delayed by the switch to the new outpatient tariff system (TARDOC and outpatient flat rates).

Three reasons from Comparis

The comparison site Comparis names three causes: new medicines, therapies and other services keep being added to what basic insurance covers; actual costs in 2026 are expected to come in higher than assumed when this year's premiums were set; and billing after the introduction of the new doctors' tariff (TARDOC) and outpatient flat rates has been delayed, so the exact 2026 costs are still unclear (Comparis).

What commentators pointed to before the announcement

Ahead of the announcement, 20 Minuten listed paid care by family members, weight-loss injections (GLP-1 drugs) and new medicines among the cost drivers (20 Minuten). The BAG has not published a percentage split by category, so treat any chart that shows one with caution.

What the government is doing about costs

The federal press release says the Department of Home Affairs and the BAG review the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of covered services and regularly review medicine prices and tariff structures, which it says saved more than CHF 2 billion over ten years. Since 2024, Federal Councillor Baume-Schneider has convened a round table of health-sector players to develop short and medium-term measures. Following the 2024 counter-proposal to the cost-brake initiative, the Federal Council can now set cost and quality targets for basic insurance. It will do so for the first time at the end of this year, for the period 2028 to 2031. If cost growth exceeds a target in an area, the Federal Council and the cantons must consider corrective measures (EDI / BAG).

The uniform financing of outpatient and inpatient care (EFAS), approved by voters in 2024, is due to start in 2028 and is expected to dampen premium growth from then on. None of this changes your 2027 bill.

3. How your canton changes the picture

Premiums are set per canton and per premium region inside it, so the national average tells you little about your own bill. The first table shows the increase in each canton's average premium across all insured people, adults and children together.

Sources: Tages-Anzeiger, LFM, Bote (Zurich) and Bote (Ticino), all reporting BAG data. Ticino keeps the highest average premium across all insured people in Switzerland. The full list for every canton is on priminfo.

The second table uses adult premiums, which is what most newcomers actually pay:

Sources: Suedostschweiz and LFM. An adult in Geneva pays almost twice as much as an adult in Zug for the same legally defined cover. Zug's low premiums are linked to the canton paying a large part of hospital treatment costs.

4. Every canton: what an adult pays with the cheapest and a typical insurer

Averages hide the one number that matters when you decide whether to switch: how far your insurer is from the cheapest one. We went through the BAG's official 2027 premium file, which lists every premium of every insurer (opendata.swiss), and compared the same policy across all insurers in each canton.

Source: our analysis of the BAG premium data for 2027. Insurer names from the BAG directory of approved insurers. Three things stand out:

• Moving from a typical insurer to the cheapest saves between CHF 288 a year (Glarus) and CHF 1,006 (Schwyz), with a median across cantons of CHF 481, for exactly the same cover.
• Moving from the most expensive to the cheapest saves at least CHF 871 a year in every canton, and up to CHF 2,881 in Uri and CHF 2,281 in Geneva.
• The cheapest insurer differs from canton to canton. ÖKK is cheapest in 10 of the 26 cantons shown, Agrisano in 5. There is no single cheap insurer for all of Switzerland, so a friend's recommendation from another canton tells you little.

How low it can go

If you are healthy and willing to use a family-doctor, HMO or telemedicine model, the lowest adult premium in each canton with the CHF 2,500 deductible and no accident cover is:

Some of these models only work with specific doctors' networks or group practices, so check that one is near you before you sign. Premiums also vary between premium regions inside a canton, so enter your own postcode on priminfo for the exact figure.

5. What to do before 30 November

Basic insurance covers exactly the same treatments at every insurer, so a cheaper policy gives up nothing in coverage. Insurers must accept you for basic insurance whatever your age or health, and the federal switching guide explains that your old insurer only releases you once the new one has confirmed your cover, so you cannot end up uninsured (priminfo). Comparis estimates that, depending on your situation, several hundred francs a year can be saved by changing insurer or model (Comparis).

Step 1: read your insurer's letter and compare

Insurers must tell you your new 2027 premium by the end of October (EDI / BAG). Then compare on priminfo.admin.ch. It lists every insurer's premium for your postcode, age, deductible and model, with no advertising and no sign-up.

Step 2: if you switch insurer, get the notice there on time

Your written notice must reach your current insurer by Monday 30 November 2026. The postmark does not count, so send it by registered post well in advance. The BAG's guidance on switching recommends sending it by mid-November (BAG fact sheet). Include your full name, date of birth, address and policy number, name the policy you are ending, ask for written confirmation, and keep the Swiss Post receipt. priminfo offers sample letters in its "Primes-Conseil" guidance.

Step 3: choose your deductible and model

The federal press release points out that until the end of November you can also adapt your insurance model (EDI / BAG). Models with a family doctor, telemedicine or an HMO are usually cheaper than the standard model. The saving varies by insurer and canton, so read it off priminfo rather than trusting a general percentage.

Adults can choose a deductible (Franchise) between CHF 300 and CHF 2,500. After it, you pay 10% of further costs up to CHF 700 a year, plus CHF 15 per day in hospital (BAG). The law caps the discount for a higher deductible at 70% of the extra risk you take on (BAG): 70% of the CHF 2,200 difference is CHF 1,540 a year, the most any insurer can give you for choosing CHF 2,500 over CHF 300. Many insurers give less, so check the real figure.

Sources: KPT and the BAG fact sheet. Insurers set their own internal cut-off for the higher deductible, so confirm the date with yours.

What I am considering myself

I am currently on the CHF 2,500 deductible, and for 2027 I am thinking of going the other way: down to CHF 300 for a few years, because I want to get check-ups done, and to move back up once the higher premium gets too expensive. The trade-off is simple to write down. The lower deductible costs me the discount I get today, at most CHF 1,540 a year and usually less, and in exchange my own share of any bills drops by up to CHF 2,200 a year. It only pays off in years where my medical costs are high enough, roughly above CHF 2,000, and it has to be re-checked every autumn, because each premium increase makes the CHF 300 option more expensive in francs.

One thing I learned while checking this: a lower deductible only helps with costs that basic insurance actually pays. General check-ups without symptoms are usually not covered by basic insurance, whatever deductible you choose, and are left to supplementary insurance (priminfo). What basic insurance does cover are specific examinations, such as cervical cancer screening, mammography and colorectal cancer screening, plus anything your doctor finds and treats. Screenings done within a cantonal programme, such as mammography from age 50 and colorectal cancer screening from 50, are even exempt from the deductible (Assura). So before I switch, I will ask my doctor which of the check-ups I have in mind are covered.

The timing matters too: a move down to CHF 300 counts like a termination, so my notice has to reach my insurer by 30 November. Moving back up to CHF 2,500 later is easier, with a written notice for the start of the next year. This is my own reasoning, not advice; the right choice depends on your health and your savings.

Step 4: check whether you qualify for a premium subsidy

Households on lower and middle incomes can receive premium reductions from their canton, and the rules and deadlines differ by canton (BAG). Our guide to premium reductions explains how to apply.

Switching in the middle of the year

Only people with the standard model and the CHF 300 deductible can switch insurer during the year. The notice must reach the insurer by 31 March 2027 for a switch on 1 July 2027. With a higher deductible or a family-doctor, Telmed or HMO model, the next date is 1 January 2028.

6. Supplementary insurance follows different rules

Everything above is about basic insurance, governed by the health insurance law (KVG). Supplementary insurance (Zusatzversicherung), for example for dental care, alternative medicine or a private hospital ward, falls under the insurance contract law (VVG), and the rules are very different.

Because they are separate contracts, you can move your basic insurance to a cheaper insurer and keep your supplementary policy where it is. Read your policy terms first for any condition that ties the two together.

Rules that protect you

• Never cancel before you have a written, unconditional acceptance. If the new insurer rejects you or adds exclusions after you cancelled, you may be left with no supplementary cover, and you may not get it back.
• Answer the health questionnaire completely and truthfully. A missing illness or treatment can let the new insurer withdraw from the contract later.
• Multi-year contracts can be ended after three years. Since the 2022 revision of the insurance contract law (Art. 35a VVG), you can terminate at the end of the third year or any year after it, even if the contract runs longer (versicherung-schweiz.ch).
• Check your terms for a special right when the premium goes up. Many insurers' general conditions allow you to cancel a policy whose premium is rising, usually within a short window after the notice. The exact period depends on your contract (schweiz-start.ch).

7. Key dates

For every notice, what counts is the date your insurer receives it, not the postmark (priminfo).

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