Basic insurance
Would you like to take out the best-value basic insurance? Or is maximum freedom important to you? Choose the insurance model that suits you. All basic insurance policies compared.
Basic insurance comparison
What is basic insurance?
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Obligatory for everyone
Basic insurance covers you in the event of illness, accident and maternity. It is obligatory for all Swiss residents.
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Individual premium
Your place of residence, age and the amount of your deductible (out-of-pocket expenses) determine your premium. With an alternative insurance model, you save money – and enjoy the verified quality of our doctors’ networks, partner pharmacies and our telemedicine partner Medi24.
Saving tips
How to reduce your costs for Swiss basic insurance.
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Change deductible
How much can you pay in the event of illness? Review and adjust your deductible annually. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium.
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Choose an alternative insurance model
Those who do not have a free choice of doctor under basic insurance pay lower premiums.
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Exclude accident coverage
Do you work at least eight hours a week for the same company? If so, you can exclude accident coverage from your basic insurance.
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Benefit from the family discount on Helsana basic insurance
With Helsana, you will receive a 77% family discount on basic insurance for every child.
Benefits covered by basic insurance
These benefits are covered by basic insurance in Switzerland – minus your co-payment (deductible, excess and hospital cost contribution). The benefits catalogue applies to all basic insurance models.
You receive CHF 10.– per day for up to 21 days per calendar year for medically prescribed balneotherapy at recognised therapeutic spas in Switzerland. However, basic insurance does not cover stays in convalescent facilities (inpatient convalescent care).
Your basic insurance supports medical check-ups such as mammograms for the early detection of illnesses. Basic insurance also pays for prevention, such as vaccinations (e.g. the flu vaccination or tick vaccination), if prescribed and administered by a doctor.
Basic insurance pays for a gynaecological checkup every three years. The cost of mammograms is covered by basic insurance under certain conditions.
You are welcome to call us for information about which medical check-ups in Switzerland are covered by basic insurance.
Alternative medicine is only partially covered by basic insurance. Basic insurance covers the costs of outpatient treatment using the following methods, provided the doctor has recognised training (Swiss Medical Association (FMH) certificate of proficiency):
- Acupuncture
- Anthroposophic medicine
- Pharmacotherapy within traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
- Traditional homoeopathy
- Phytotherapy
Limit: basic insurance pays for a maximum of 180 minutes per method within six months; additional benefits are covered by supplementary insurance such as SANA, COMPLETA and COMPLETA PLUS.
Basic insurance only applies abroad in emergencies. It covers emergency treatment by public service providers such as hospitals, doctors’ offices and pharmacies – but up to a maximum cost: within the EU and EFTA/UK (Iceland, Norway and the UK), the social tariff of the respective country applies. In all other countries, basic insurance pays a maximum of twice the amount that would be required for treatment in Switzerland.
Basic insurance does not cover emergency transport abroad, nor excesses in the country of treatment.
Tip: take your insurance card with you when travelling within the EU/EFTA/UK. This serves as a European Health Insurance Card. The payment will then be processed directly with Helsana, and you can save yourself the Swiss co-payment such as your deductible and excess.
Basic insurance only covers dental treatment in exceptional cases:
- Serious diseases of the masticatory system
- When a serious general illness makes treatment necessary
- For tooth injuries caused by an accident, provided the accident is insured
- As a result of a congenital defect
Important: basic insurance does not cover braces or dental hygiene, nor does it cover normal wisdom tooth removal. This requires supplementary insurance such as DENTAplus or TOP and COMPLETA.
For adults, basic insurance only covers glasses or contact lenses in medically justified exceptional cases, for example after an eye operation or in the case of diabetes or severe astigmatism. This requires a prescription from an ophthalmologist.
For children and young people up to the age of 18, basic insurance pays CHF 180.– per year for glasses or contact lenses. Higher contributions are possible in special cases and if medically necessary.
You receive contributions towards the costs for care at home (home nursing) and in a nursing home. Home nursing services covered by basic insurance include medically prescribed basic care, assessment, advice, coordination, examination and treatment. The same applies in a nursing home. Billing is based on the time-based tariff set out by law. Basic insurance does not cover any benefits for domestic help and social care under the banner of home nursing.
Basic insurance pays for hospital costs in the general ward (multi-bedrooms). With your basic insurance, you have a free choice of hospitals from the cantonal list of hospitals. Basic insurance covers all costs in your canton of residence. For out-of-canton hospital stays, it pays, at most, the tariff of your canton of residence. This restriction does not apply if you are being treated outside of your canton for medical reasons or if the hospital is on the list of your canton of residence.
Referral required: with an alternative insurance model (BeneFit PLUS general practitioner, Telmed, Flexmed or PREMED-24), you will need a medical prescription for your stay in a hospital or birthing centre.
We would be happy to check the payment of costs for your hospital stay in advance:
You receive the contributions specified by law towards medically prescribed aids and equipment such as crutches, blood glucose monitors, inhalation and respiratory therapy equipment, compression stockings, milk pumps, etc. The aids recognised under basic insurance can be found in the medical aids and equipment list.
Medically prescribed medication is covered by basic insurance if it is included in the specialities list and is used in accordance with its authorisation.
How to save even more: always ask for generic medication as you will pay a lower excess.
Basic insurance covers the costs throughout Switzerland in accordance with the tariff for treatment by a recognised doctor. This also applies to medically prescribed benefits such as chiropractic, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, midwives, etc. All benefits are listed in the Health Care Benefits Ordinance (KLV).
What basic insurance covers in the event of maternity:
- Check-ups: seven check-ups with a doctor or midwife and two ultrasound scans carried out by a doctor – in a high-risk pregnancy, further check-ups if medically necessary
- Birth preparation: CHF 150.– for birth preparation classes or a consultation with a midwife
- Birth: full payment of costs in a general ward (multi-bedroom) in your canton of residence or in a recognised birthing centre; an out-of-canton hospital is possible if necessary for medical reasons or if the hospital is on the hospital list in your canton of residence – please contact us in advance for confirmation of cost coverage.
- Home birth: full payment of costs according to the valid midwifery tariff
- Breastfeeding advice: three consultations with a midwife or trained breastfeeding specialist
- Postnatal period: basic insurance covers care provided by a midwife or specialist carer for eight weeks after the birth. If you require a longer period of care, you will need a medical prescription.
Basic insurance covers the costs of psychotherapy provided by psychiatrists or recognised psychological psychotherapists. For the latter, you will need a medical prescription.
For medically necessary emergency transport in an ambulance, basic insurance covers 50% of the costs up to CHF 500.– per calendar year. Basic insurance also covers transport costs for medically necessary treatment in a home nursing vehicle, wheelchair-accessible taxi or disability vehicle.
Frequently asked questions
You can switch from the BASIS standard model with a free choice of doctor to an alternative model and take advantage of its benefits at any time with effect from the following month. It is possible to switch from one alternative insurance model (e.g. general practitioner or telemedicine) to another with a one-month notice period to take effect on 1 January of the following year. The same applies when you switch from an alternative insurance model to the BASIS standard model.
You can cancel your basic insurance as of 31 December. The notice period for basic insurance is one month. Your cancellation must reach your health insurance company by no later than the last working day in November. Would you like to switch your basic insurance? Here are some tips and a template for cancelling your basic insurance:
You can select either the minimum deductible of CHF 300.– or a higher deductible between CHF 500.– and CHF 2500.–. The higher your deductible, the lower your basic insurance premium. The choice of deductible depends on how high you expect your healthcare costs to be on average and how much you are prepared to pay in the event of illness. We would be happy to advise you personally.
Please call Customer Service: 0844 80 81 82
Children and young people under the age of 18 have no statutory deductible. With an optional deductible of CHF 500.–, you can also save on the premium for children.
Are you a cross-border commuter? Unfortunately, optional deductibles are not possible. Under basic insurance, you are subject to the statutory deductible of CHF 300.– per year. There are no deductibles for children and young people.
You can change the deductible for your basic insurance with effect from 1 January of the following year. The following deadlines apply for notifying Helsana:
- Reducing your deductible: 30 November
- Increasing your deductible: 31 December
Please notify us of your change request via myHelsana. Do you want to notify us by post? We must receive your notice by the last working day before the deadline.
Important: cross-border commuters from Germany, France, Italy or Austria are not entitled to optional deductibles, i.e. they cannot opt for a higher deductible in return for a reduced premium.
Supplementing your basic insurance
Close the gaps in your basic insurance. Supplementary insurance protects you against high out-of-pocket expenses, for example in hospital, when abroad or for rescue services.
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