When the 2 500-franc deductible starts costing more

The arithmetic, in one line

On the minimum deductible you pay the first 300 francs of costs. On the maximum you pay 2 500 but your premium falls. The threshold is the level of costs at which the two work out exactly the same: 300 francs plus the annual premium saving.

Below that threshold the high deductible wins. Above it, it costs more than the minimum — and the difference then widens franc for franc.

The threshold is not the same everywhere

It runs from CHF 1'744.80 in region 2 of canton Grisons to CHF 1'840.20 in region 3 of canton Lucerne. Where premiums are high the saving is high too, and the threshold rises.

The calculation excludes the 10 % co-payment, capped at 700 francs a year, which applies in both cases and therefore does not move the tipping point.

The figures

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