Why are my premiums suddenly much higher?

Jump in premiums: why?

If you’ve already come of age, you may have noticed that your health insurance premium is suddenly much higher. It’s the same with all health insurers and depends on your age. There are two ages when your premiums increase significantly.

First premium increase – from 18 to 19

From child premium to young adult premium

At Sanitas, children benefit from a discount 75.4% to 77.5% on the adult premium. You’re no longer classed as a child when you turn 18, so your premium discount stops at this age. Your premium is adjusted after your 18th birthday on 1 January of the next calendar year. Depending on your insurance solution, the child premium will switch either to a young adult premium with a lower discount or directly to an adult premium.

From child deductible to adult deductible

Deductibles for children range between 0 and CHF 500. When you come of age, the deductible switches to between CHF 300 and CHF 2,500. This means you or your parents previously contributed between 0 and CHF 500 per year towards the cost of your medical treatment. Now you can choose a deductible of between CHF 300 and CHF 2,500 per year. The new deductible applies from 1 January of the calendar year after your 18th birthday.

Discounts for young adults

Despite the premium increase there’s good news: young adults between the age of 19 and 25 receive a discount of between 30% and 37% on the adult premium at Sanitas. 

Second premium increase – from 25 to 26

From young adult premium to adult premium

When you turn 26 you’re no longer classed as a young adult, so you lose your young-adult discount at this age. Now, at the latest, you’ll pay the standard adult premium. The new premium applies from 1 January of the calendar year after your 25th birthday. Your deductible remains the same.     

Where can I see my new premium?

Health insurers send out the new policies every year in October. “Policy” is another name for insurance contract. The policy shows which insurance plans you’ve taken out and how much they cost. The premium is the total cost of all your health insurance costs per month.

You can now adjust your health insurance, for example by choosing a new basic insurance model or taking out a supplementary insurance plan. The new contract takes effect on 1 January of the next year.

What annual deductible is right for me?

The higher the deductible, the lower the monthly premium. You can save money by choosing a high deductible, but bear in mind that you have to be able to pay the deductible in full if you go to the doctor and receive a high bill. The highest deductible is CHF 2,500. Consider how much you could afford to pay in an emergency and choose a deductible that doesn’t exceed this amount.  

Child and adult deductibles
Child 0
 100
 200 300 400 500 600
Adult 300 500 1000 1500 2000 2500  

Leaving the family policy – your own insurance contract

Children are usually insured under their parent’s contract. You or your parents can choose to transfer you from the family policy. In this case you receive your own insurance contract. With some supplementary insurance plans, there are special age-related requirements.

From Family to Jump

If you were previously insured under your parent’s Family supplementary insurance plan, you’ll be transferred to the Jump plan at age 20. Jump is the supplementary outpatient insurance plan for young adults aged between 19 and 25.

 

Key benefits

  • Emergency outpatient treatment abroad
  • Alternative medicine
  • Uninsured drugs
  • Glasses and contact lenses    
  • Gynaecological and medical check-ups
  • Up to CHF 200 towards fitness centre membership
  • Switch without a medical exam to Classic or back to Family if you have children
  • CHF 50 bonus for each year you don’t make claims under basic insurance and Jump
More details on Jump

From Family to Classic

If you receive your own policy before you turn 19, you’ll be transferred from Family to Classic. For example, if your parents switch you to your own policy earlier or if you want to have a separate policy. Classic is the supplementary outpatient insurance for singles and couples.

 

Key benefits

  • Emergency outpatient treatment abroad
  • Alternative medicine
  • Uninsured drugs and medical aids
  • Glasses and contact lenses
  • Gynaecological and medical check-ups
  • Up to CHF 200 towards fitness centre membership
  • Switch back to Family without a medical exam if you start a family
More details on Classic

Important deadlines

Notices of termination for basic insurance

You can terminate basic insurance each year up to 30 November. By law, customers can only switch to another insurer if they have paid all outstanding premiums and cost shares and have confirmation from the new insurer.

If you choose a deductible of CHF 300, there’s an additional period of notice at the end of June. In this case, Sanitas must receive notice of termination by 31 March or the last working day in March. However, this only applies to the standard basic insurance model, not alternative insurance models.

Notices of termination for supplementary insurance plans

Periods of notice vary for supplementary insurance plans. You’ll find binding information in the relevant general terms of insurance, the supplementary terms and in the special terms of the relevant insurance plan.

Regardless of the deadline, Sanitas must receive notification by 30 September or the last working day of September.

Tip: you don’t have to send your letter of termination by registered post, but it’s safer to do so because it’s important that the letter arrives in time.

Switching to Sanitas – It’s simple

 

Basic insurance

  1. Select your basic insurance model in the premium calculator.
  2. You can take out basic insurance directly online. Simply complete the registration form and send it to us no later than 2 weeks before the deadline for termination.
  3. As soon as your application has been completed/accepted, we will send you the cancellation form for your previous health insurance. On request, we can take care of terminating your previous insurance for you.

Supplementary insurance

  1. Choose an insurance plan in the premium calculator.
  2. You can apply for supplementary insurance directly online. Simply complete and send in the application.
  3. Taking out supplementary insurance is subject to a risk assessment. We’ve now greatly simplified the health questions involved to save you time and effort. We will review your application and request further information if necessary. We have the right to accept your application, accept it with a restriction or reject it entirely.
  4. As soon as your application has been completed/accepted, we will send you the cancellation form for your previous health insurance. On request, we can take care of terminating your previous insurance for you.

Keep track of your insurance affairs with the Sanitas customer portal

Under the family policy, the head of family is the only one with access to the Sanitas Portal. As soon as you have your own policy you can sign up to the Sanitas Portal yourself.

More details on the customer portal
Sanitas Portal app
Insurance and health in one app
Sanitas Portal app
How to save money
Save money on your premiums and benefit from a range of discounts
Money-saving tips

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