Is complementary medicine covered?
Partly, and on one condition that changes everything: five methods are covered by basic insurance, but only when a medical doctor provides them.
The five methods
Since May 2017, following a popular vote and a period of evaluation, five complementary therapies have been permanently listed in the basic insurance catalogue.
- Anthroposophic medicine.
- Homeopathy.
- Phytotherapy.
- Traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture.
- Acupuncture, also recognised in its own right.
The condition that changes everything
Cover applies only if the practitioner is a medical doctor holding the corresponding certificate of proficiency. A non-medical therapist, however excellent and however well recognised by a professional register, creates no entitlement against basic insurance.
That is the source of most unpleasant surprises: the patient sees a homeopath, assumes cover because “homeopathy is reimbursed”, and the insurer refuses. Check the practitioner’s qualification before the first session, not after.
What supplementary cover changes
This is precisely where supplementary policies take over: they cover non-medical therapists, provided those therapists are recognised by a professional register — the RME and ASCA are the most commonly required.
Contracts typically reimburse 70 to 90 per cent per session, with an annual ceiling. The number of methods covered varies widely between insurers: some list a dozen, others more than a hundred. If you follow a specific therapy, check that it is named in the policy conditions, not merely in the brochure.
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