Swiss Health Insurance Premiums 2027: What's Coming

Since 29 September it's official: the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) has announced the 2027 health insurance premiums. The average monthly premium rises 5.0% to CHF 412. For adults it comes to CHF 487.60 (+ 4.9%), for young adults CHF 338.80 (+ 4.8%) and for children CHF 128.10 (+ 4.6%). That's a bigger increase than last year (+ 4.4%), and there's no relief in sight.

For you, it mainly means one thing: you have until 30 November to switch health insurers if the new premium doesn't work for you, and after that the window is closed for a full year. Here's what the 2027 premium increase means for you, why it's happening, and exactly what to do before the end of November instead of just grumbling about it.

What 2027 actually looks like

The figures are official: the BAG published the average premiums for 2027 on 29 September 2026. The average monthly premium rises by CHF 19.70, or 5.0%, to CHF 412. By age group it looks like this:

The forecasts from spring, for example Comparis's 3.7%, turned out too low.

Some context helps:

The 2027 increase is higher than last year's. That doesn't mean the problem is solved, a falling premium isn't realistically on the table for anyone.

Important: 5.0% is an average across every insurer, canton, and age group. It varies a lot by region. Cantons like Basel-Stadt, Geneva, or Ticino traditionally sit well above the average, while Appenzell Innerrhoden or Uri are among the cheapest. If you live in an expensive canton, your personal increase for 2027 could land noticeably above 5.0%. You'll only see the number that actually applies to you on the premium letter insurers send out by the end of October.

Why premiums are climbing again

Healthcare costs keep rising, and premiums follow them. The BAG names more treatments, medical and technological progress and an ageing population as the reasons. It estimates cost growth for 2027 at 5.0%, and premiums rise accordingly.

The federal government is trying to slow the increase: a round table has been working on measures since 2024, and the Federal Council plans to set cost and quality targets for 2028 to 2031 by the end of the year. That no longer affects the 2027 premiums.

None of this changes basic insurance itself. It's set out in the Health Insurance Act (KVG) and identical at every insurer: same benefits, same deductible tiers, same rules. The only thing you can influence is which insurer and which model you buy those benefits through.

The deadline that matters: 30 November

The deadline for switching as of the end of the year works the same way every year: your written cancellation must arrive at your current insurer by 30 November at the latest. What counts is the arrival date, not the postmark. If 30 November falls on a weekend, your cancellation has to arrive by the Friday before. The BAG recommends sending the letter by mid-November, by registered mail or A-Post Plus, so you can prove it arrived if you ever need to.

Miss this deadline and you'll usually stay with your current insurer for 2027, even if you find a cheaper option on 2 December. Only in the standard model with the ordinary deductible (CHF 300 for adults, CHF 0 for children) can you also switch as of 1 July 2027, provided your cancellation arrives by 31 March 2027. Everyone else can next switch as of 1 January 2028.

In practice: once your premium letter arrives in October, you realistically have four to six weeks to compare and act. Put a reminder in your calendar for mid-November right now, otherwise this is the kind of thing that gets pushed back until it's too late.

Important if you carry supplementary insurance: the 30 November deadline only applies to mandatory basic insurance. Supplementary plans, like hospital or dental coverage, run on separate contracts with their own, often longer, notice periods, which are stated in your policy. Cancel only your basic insurance and the supplementary plan simply continues. Cancel both together by mistake and you could lose cover you actually wanted to keep. Check your policy carefully before you send anything.

Savings model or high deductible: you can still switch

Here's what many people don't know: even with a savings model like family doctor, HMO, or telmed, or with a high voluntary deductible, you can switch insurers as of 31 December every year. The same deadline applies as for everyone else: your cancellation must arrive at your insurer by 30 November. Your premium doesn't need to go up for this.

The only difference is during the year. Only people insured in the standard model with the ordinary deductible (CHF 300 for adults, CHF 0 for children) can switch as of 1 July, with a cancellation arriving by 31 March. With a savings model or a voluntary deductible, you can only switch at the end of the year, which means now.

Use this chance deliberately. Anyone who picked a savings model years ago and hasn't compared since is often sitting on unnecessarily high costs, simply because they assume they're locked in.

Switching pays off: insurer, model, and deductible compared

Premiums for identical coverage can differ by 40% or more between the cheapest and most expensive insurer in the same canton. Switching insurer is usually the single most powerful lever. Two other dials matter too:

• Insurance model: the standard model with free choice of doctor costs the most. Family doctor, HMO, telmed, or pharmacy models are cheaper because you contact a designated first point of contact instead of going straight to a specialist. Depending on insurer and canton, that saves 15 to 25%.
• Deductible: the mandatory base deductible is CHF 300, and you can voluntarily raise it to CHF 2,500. If you're rarely sick, your premium drops noticeably with every higher tier, but you pay more yourself if you do get sick.

A worked example makes this concrete: a 35-year-old in the city of Zurich on the standard model with a CHF 300 deductible pays around CHF 430 a month in 2026. Switching to a telmed model and raising the deductible to CHF 1,500 often brings the premium down to CHF 280–300, a saving of close to CHF 1,500 a year. In exchange, they carry up to CHF 1,200 more risk themselves if they get sick, so the math only works out if they genuinely rarely need a doctor.

For a detailed walkthrough of every lever, see Lower Your Health Insurance Premiums: 5 Levers for 2027.

Premium subsidies: the lever most people overlook

For many households, the biggest lever isn't switching insurer at all, it's the individual premium subsidy (IPV) paid by your canton, and it's also the one most often overlooked. If you live on a modest income, you're entitled to it. What counts is your taxable income, your assets, and your household size, but the income thresholds vary widely from canton to canton.

Each canton decides how you get the subsidy. In Zurich, the cantonal social insurance office (SVA) sends an application form to people whose tax data suggests they're likely eligible. If you don't receive one, you can apply yourself by the end of March of the following year. Elsewhere the deadline comes much sooner: in the canton of Lucerne, you need to register for 2027 by 31 October 2026. Register later and you only receive the subsidy for the months after your application. Depending on canton and income, the subsidy can be worth several hundred to well over a thousand francs a year, often considerably more for families with several children. If you think you're just above the income threshold, or haven't checked in years, you could be leaving real money on the table. A ten-minute look at your cantonal social insurance office's website is worth it for practically any household with a middle or lower income, once a year.

Practical tip: your timeline through the end of November

Don't wait for the premium letter, compare now, because the official 2027 premiums are known. A realistic timeline: as soon as you have the figures, compare on Priminfo, the federal government's official premium calculator, or a commercial portal like Comparis. By mid-November, make your decision and send your cancellation by registered mail to your current insurer. At the same time, sign up with the new insurer, they'll often help with the cancellation formalities, but a legally valid switch only happens once your own cancellation arrives on time.

Bottom line

5.0% more is less than the 8.7% of 2024, but more than last year. It's not a relief, especially for households already budgeting tightly. The good news: you're not simply at the mercy of the increase. Between switching insurer, choosing a model, adjusting your deductible, and claiming a premium subsidy, you have more levers than the annual premium letter suggests. Compare before 30 November and don't let procrastination make the decision for you.