Is an ambulance covered?

The exact amounts

Basic insurance treats transport and rescue separately from other care: it pays only half, and within annual limits set by law.

• ✓Ambulance transport: 50 per cent of costs, up to CHF 500 a year.
• ✓Rescue, helicopter included: 50 per cent of costs, up to CHF 5,000 a year.
• ✓Care received on site or in hospital: covered normally, with deductible and co-payment.

Why the bill comes as a shock

An ambulance transport in Switzerland commonly bills between CHF 900 and 2,000. At 50 per cent capped at CHF 500, more than half of it often stays with you.

A helicopter rescue in the mountains frequently exceeds CHF 5,000: the ceiling is reached in a single flight. And these ceilings are annual — a second transport in the same year opens nothing further.

What actually covers this risk

Outpatient supplementary cover generally picks up the balance, often with no ceiling or a far higher one. It is one of the few items where inexpensive supplementary cover is justified by simple arithmetic rather than comfort.

In the mountains, rescue memberships — Rega’s or the Alpine Club’s — cover the same risk for a few dozen francs a year. They do not replace insurance, but for anyone who hikes or skis often, the ratio of cost to risk avoided is hard to beat.