Can someone please explain to me why on earth does Blasted Swica steal our money it is the most expensive health insurance I have ever seen. My family has the top notch health insurance but somehow we are billed for ambulances 700 francs, blood tests which are 200 quid a pop, iron infusions, physiotherapy, you name it.. we pay it. It is BEYOND ridiculous and I feel unfair. The doctors in the Swica centre tell you you need a treatment then you get charged a ridiculous amount of money for it. I feel like it might even be cheaper to not have it and pay individual bills since it costs like two grand a month.
Does anyone else have the same experience? Did they change providers from the Thieving tricksters? I have had enough of seeing total cost 200 covered by us 0 covered by you 200

Umm, what is your deductable?

Tom

How can I find that information out

Are you really paying 2k a month? My premium with SWICA is 246 chf a month but that's with 1000 deductable.

Absolutely priceless answer!!!
Before you start moaning you should check this out. The higher your deductable the cheaper your premiums. We are with SWICA and have never had any problems. We worked out that a deductible of CHF 1500 gave the best ratio between premium / expenses. Your deductible should be on the confirmation you got for your insurance around October time.

Great thanks so much Ill talk to my dad because I feel really guilty with all these expenses. Im exxagerating with the two grand its a bit less I think its 1 grand a month for four of us but I am just always ill and on medication and he is starting to be annoyed by my bills. Em , about the deductables do you think then that the ambulance bill came because my MRI scan and medication and hospital stay wasnt charged but in the end the ambulance couldnt be covered too?

Thanks for this wealth of information guys

We pay 660 for 2, I have a 300 deductible (I have diabetes so it would be dumb to have a smaller one) and my husband has 2000. In all it works pretty well and I am very happy with the service I get from them, but as the previous poster said check your deductible. It even comes at the bottom of every bill you get!

Thanks Angela I will check it tommorow when I get out of my nest

Stupid question maybe but do you actually send the bills in for payment? Hospitals will bill direct but just about anyone else will bill you and expect you to pay. You then submit the bill to SWICA who reimburses you (generally fairly promptly). They will send you a detaiiled account telling you how much the bill was and how much they will cover.

Ah well, I pay CHF 240 a month for the mandatory Basic health insurance at SWICA that I'm not even using (as I'm still insured through my home country for far less with far more coverage).

Come on - give the guy a break. You sould know to never let facts get in the way of a good rant!

Swica isn't the best value insurance for everyone, but some of the big employers have negotiated a special rate for HMO, for example. In September, have a look around and see if you can get a better deal.

However, if you're like me, and have had major surgery, you'll only be able to swap basic. At least, if you want to remain fully covered.

Generally, you should either go for max excess or minimum. Either way, I still pay a lot less here for my health insurance + social tax deductions than I did just on NI payments in the UK. And that's with a family of 5.

Excellent rant. I've not read on so good in months.

Im a girl dodgyken!

can you recomend another supplier then? I am always needing medicine and treatments etc and if theres another cheaper option or better service I would really be glad to know

My impression based on threads here has been that the quality of service is generally in proportion to the cost of the premiums. Although I am fairly confident that the next post will be from someone who will prove the contrary...

I can't fault Swica's service - though I was glad to get of HMO, and it was definitely worth the extra money.

I can fault them, But then again im sicker then the average Joe..

Price will depend on your canton, model and deductible. We use innova in Bern, telmed model - which means we have to call for new events and talk to the call center doctor, and the doctor usually says "go to the doctor in person". I have found it largely innocuous, so far. And right now I see either my oncologist or regular doctor every week.

For existing conditions, you call the call center and announce your appointment. If you know you will have recurring appointments, you call and they open a "window" for a year so you don't have to call regularly. I don't have to do it for oncology visits this year.

We also have the option to scan in our bills and email them. Reimbursement takes 3 weeks.

For 2 people, chf300 deductible both, kanton Bern, we pay about 660 - and we are late 40's early 50's. We get all our meds from our docs.

If the telmed model gets too annoying, then we would pay more to get rid of it. Right now it is fine.

Another SWICA model that gives a good discount on the basic insurance is the Telmed model. You can choose your own doctor (doesn't have to be a HMO) but you need to call a SWICA number before and tell them you are making an appointment. They have never questioned it, just note it in the computer. (see above post, also available for SWICA)

I know the answer to my question is call them but was looking on here for info first.

My old company used to pay my health insurance. It was shown on my payslip as a benefit and equated to roughly 200-250chf.

Towards the end of my time there they scrapped this benefit and had a Swica consultant come in to discuss this with us so we could manage the plan going forward.

There was little to discuss from my point of view. It's a hassle that is a legal requirement and I just wanted to continue as normal. My plan involved a pretty mediocre coverage as far as I am aware and included a money back gym fee, though that's pointless as I don't have time to go, so that's one amendment I could make.

Anyhow, there was some issue, the woman said she would call me to gain clarity and the usual Swiss customer service entailed......no call. I attempted several times to call and resolve but was passed around with little progress and then changed jobs and forgot about it all.

I noticed 200chf or thereabouts being debited every now and again each month as I checked my transactions at ATM. Note ATM, as credit suisse still have yet to provide online banking after nearly two years and despite numerous exhausted attempts to simply receive paper statements I have never been able to monitor my account.

Well today I notice Swica help themselves to 355chf. How??? Surely it's illegal to increase a direct debit without notice or approval. I have never received any corespondence other than the initial welcome pack, nor have I ever claimed. I am rarely sick and would probably just fly to the UK for any health care if needed but find this pretty outrageous and expensive for the service I don't use. I appreciate one day I might have to or may find it very helpful in an unfortunate episode but I trust you get my point.

Any ideas before I call ???