Health insurance for a child
A child must be insured from birth, and their premium has nothing in common with an adult’s. Here is what it actually costs, canton by canton.
The household priced
- 1 × Childchild · Deductible CHF 0 · accident included
The most affordable canton is Zug, at CHF 33.50 a month for this household.
The most expensive is Geneva, at CHF 65.90 a month — for exactly the same cover.
Cover is compulsory from birth. Declared within three months, it takes effect retroactively to the day of birth, so maternity costs are covered. After that, cover starts only on enrolment and costs already incurred stay with you. For a child the deductible is zero by default; it can be raised to between CHF 100 and 600, which only makes sense if the child rarely sees a doctor. Most insurers grant a discount from the third child onwards, and cantons cut children’s premiums sharply through premium reductions.
What it costs, canton by canton
| Canton | Cheapest | Average premium | Gap over the year | Cheapest insurer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zug | CHF 33.50 | CHF 82.88 | CHF 593 | Agrisano |
| Appenzell Innerrhoden | CHF 35.30 | CHF 88.09 | CHF 634 | Agrisano |
| Uri | CHF 37.70 | CHF 96.26 | CHF 703 | Agrisano |
| Obwalden | CHF 38.30 | CHF 98.77 | CHF 726 | Agrisano |
| St. Gallen | CHF 38.40 | CHF 103.93 | CHF 786 | rhenusana |
| Nidwalden | CHF 38.50 | CHF 96.63 | CHF 698 | Agrisano |
| Schwyz | CHF 40.00 | CHF 102.48 | CHF 750 | Agrisano |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden | CHF 40.30 | CHF 103.62 | CHF 760 | rhenusana |
| Valais | CHF 40.60 | CHF 105.24 | CHF 776 | Agrisano |
| Grisons | CHF 40.70 | CHF 105.45 | CHF 777 | Agrisano |
| Lucerne | CHF 41.50 | CHF 102.58 | CHF 733 | Agrisano |
| Zurich | CHF 42.70 | CHF 114.46 | CHF 861 | Agrisano |
| Thurgau | CHF 43.00 | CHF 105.86 | CHF 754 | Agrisano |
| Glarus | CHF 43.30 | CHF 104.17 | CHF 730 | Agrisano |
| Schaffhausen | CHF 43.30 | CHF 107.59 | CHF 771 | Agrisano |
| Bern | CHF 44.80 | CHF 115.22 | CHF 845 | Agrisano |
| Fribourg | CHF 45.00 | CHF 114.94 | CHF 839 | Agrisano |
| Aargau | CHF 45.40 | CHF 108.54 | CHF 758 | Agrisano |
| Solothurn | CHF 48.60 | CHF 113.39 | CHF 778 | Agrisano |
| Basel-Landschaft | CHF 49.40 | CHF 127.87 | CHF 942 | Agrisano |
| Jura | CHF 53.50 | CHF 127.65 | CHF 890 | Visana |
| Ticino | CHF 53.90 | CHF 136.97 | CHF 997 | Agrisano |
| Neuchâtel | CHF 55.80 | CHF 133.66 | CHF 934 | Visana |
| Vaud | CHF 57.20 | CHF 135.16 | CHF 936 | Galenos |
| Basel-Stadt | CHF 60.70 | CHF 135.94 | CHF 903 | Agrisano |
| Geneva | CHF 65.90 | CHF 145.99 | CHF 961 | Galenos |
The amounts are the lowest premium found in the canton, across all models, for the composition above. A canton’s lowest premium sits in one specific premium region: your municipality may belong to another. The comparator gives the exact figure for your postcode. When a household has several insured people, each is placed with the insurer cheapest for them: the right-hand column may therefore name two, and nothing requires a family to choose the same insurer for everyone.
Three things to check
- 1Declare the birth within three months: cover then runs from day one.
- 2A zero deductible is the default, and usually the right call for a young child.
- 3Apply for the premium reduction: in several cantons a child’s premium is largely covered.
The other situations
- Health insurance as a student
- Health insurance in your first job
- Health insurance for a family of four
- Health insurance when self-employed
- Health insurance in retirement
- Health insurance when arriving in Switzerland
- Health insurance during an apprenticeship
- Health insurance when you are out of work
- Health insurance for two
- Health insurance as a cross-border worker
- Health insurance after retirement
2026 · OFSP / priminfo.admin.ch