Switching season in Switzerland: check what your supplementary insurance pays for prevention

Every autumn, the same letter lands in Swiss mailboxes: next year's basic health insurance (KVG / LAMal) premium. For 2027, the Federal Office of Public Health has announced an average increase of 5.0%, bringing the average monthly basic insurance premium to CHF 412. For adults, it rises by CHF 22.80 to CHF 487.60 a month.

Once again, millions of people are comparing offers, reading the fineprint and asking themselves whether to stay or switch. Most of that comparison focuses on one number: the monthly premium for basic insurance. That matters, but it leaves out a part of your cover that many people never use: what your supplementary insurance pays towards preventive health check-ups.

This article is not about telling you which insurer to choose. It is about making sure that, whatever you decide, you know what prevention benefits you already have, how they work, and how not to leave them unused.

The key dates for 2027

• Basic insurance (KVG / LAMal): you can change insurer for 1 January 2027 if your cancellation reaches your current insurer by Monday 30 November 2026 . Send it by registered mail and allow a few days for delivery. Your insurer must notify you of your new premium at least one month before it takes effect, so by the end of October.
• Supplementary insurance (VVG / LCA): different rules apply. Notice periods are set by your contract, and many already expired on 30 September. When your premium increases, many contracts give you a special right to cancel: check the letter and your general conditions for the exact deadline.
• Never cancel a supplementary plan before you are accepted elsewhere. Unlike basic insurance, a supplementary insurer can ask health questions, exclude conditions or decline your application. You can also keep your supplementary plan with your current insurer while moving your basic insurance.

Basic insurance rarely covers prevention. Supplementary insurance often does.

Mandatory basic insurance generally does not pay for preventive screenings such as a full-body MRI or a comprehensive blood test when you have no symptoms. Supplementary plans are different: many include a dedicated allowance for health check-ups or preventive care, written as a percentage of the cost, a fixed amount, a ceiling, or a combination.

These benefits are rarely mentioned in comparison tools, and they vary widely from one plan to the next. That is why we built the Ahead insurance checker : you select your insurer and plan, choose a check-up, and see an estimate of what your plan reimburses.

Three things most people miss

1. Your allowance resets, and an unused one does not roll over

Prevention allowances are usually granted per period, and that period varies from one plan to another. A benefit you do not use within its period does not carry over. If you are about to change plans, or if your allowance is still untouched, check when it resets: a check-up before then may be the moment to use it.

2. One allowance, not one per test

Most insurers write their prevention benefit as a single pot per period. If your plan pays, for example, 90% up to CHF 200, that is CHF 200 in total, whether you book one test or three. Some plans do separate them, for example with one allowance for scans and another for blood tests, so it is worth reading the exact wording of your plan. Our checker applies these rules so the estimate you see is the real ceiling, not a sum of every line.

3. The premium is not the whole story

Two supplementary plans with similar premiums can differ by more than a thousand francs in what they pay towards prevention. If regular check-ups are part of how you look after your health, that difference belongs in your comparison next to the monthly price.

What this looks like in practice

Take the Advanced blood test, which costs CHF 299 at Ahead. Depending on your plan:

• A plan that reimburses 90% would cover about CHF 269, leaving you around CHF 30 to pay.
• A plan that reimburses 75% would cover about CHF 224.
• A plan with a fixed contribution of CHF 150 would cover about half.

For an MRI check-up, the gap between plans is even larger: some plans contribute nothing, many cap their contribution at a few hundred francs, and the most generous go beyond a thousand francs.

How to check your own coverage in two minutes

1. Open the Ahead insurance checker .
2. Select your supplementary insurer and your plan.
3. Choose the check-up you are interested in: a membership or an MRI.
4. See your estimated reimbursement straight away. If your plan is not in our list yet, you can request a pro forma invoice from us and check with your insurer directly.

After your check-up, simply ask our team for an invoice or a reimbursement receipt, whether you booked a single check-up or a membership, and submit it through your insurer's portal or app.

Coverage guides by insurer

Want the detail for your own insurer? Each guide lists the supplementary plans we have reviewed and what they reimburse for our check-ups.

• Assura
• Atupri
• AXA
• Concordia
• CSS
• EGK
• Groupe Mutuel
• Helsana
• KPT
• ÖKK
• Sanitas
• SWICA
• Sympany
• Visana

Before you sign anything

• Read your premium letter and note your supplementary insurance cancellation deadline.
• Look up the prevention or check-up benefit in your current plan, and in any plan you are considering.
• Check when your allowance resets, and whether you still have some of it to use.
• Only cancel a supplementary plan once your new insurer has confirmed your application in writing.

Switching season is a good moment to look at your insurance with fresh eyes. Make sure the benefits that support your long term health are part of that picture, not only the premium.

Check your coverage now

The reimbursement examples in this article are illustrative. Insurance conditions change: your insurer's current general conditions always apply. This article is general information and not insurance advice.