Premium subsidies
Switching insurer is not the only lever. The individual premium reduction is paid by your canton according to your income — and many who qualify never claim it.
What it is
Federal law obliges cantons to reduce the premiums of people in modest economic circumstances. The federal government contributes, but cantons set the thresholds, the amounts and the procedure. Hence considerable differences between them.
How to claim it
The application goes to your canton of residence, never to your health insurer — the most common confusion. Some cantons pay automatically on the basis of your tax assessment; others require a yearly application with a deadline you must not miss.
The amount usually goes straight to the insurer, which reduces your monthly bill accordingly.
Who qualifies
- Thresholds depend on determining income, assets and household composition.
- Families with children and young adults in education benefit from more favourable rules in most cantons.
- Recipients of supplementary benefits or social assistance get the reduction automatically.
Why we do not compute your subsidy
It would take twenty-six scales, updated every year, plus your determining income — which we will not ask you for. We would rather tell you where to knock: your canton’s social insurance office.