Hello,
I just cancelled my existing basic health insurance with Sana24, because i noticed in Comparis there are a lot cheaper ones. But with Sana24 i havent had any particular insurance model, so now i dont know which one to choose. I have been reading and trying to understand what the difference is between the insurance models, but havent totally got it.

Which one do you have and are you happy with it? I was thinking about Telmed, because then i dont always have to use the same doctor and can choose it myself (right?), i just need to call somewhere before i go to the doctor.

But not sure if it will be a struggle on the phone because of my German...

Atupri seems to be the cheapest for me, does anyone has experience with it?
I am happy with the service of Sana24 and will keep my complimentary insurance (Zusatzversicherung) with them.

What I do, and did when choosing an HMO in the states, is select the doctor you want to use, then see what they "take", and do "that". Have you been to a doctor that you liked, or could easily communicate? If so, call their office, ask which model to choose. If not, just take the cheapest option...if it doesn't work out, change next year again.

Whatever my insurance brocker got me

It is with Assura... Optima, I think.

Anyway, as you are in ZH, try Jenny.

@ Harshbarger, all the insurance providers in CH will have an option where you can go to whichever Dr you want. You can also reduce your excess by choosing to have limited access to Drs (i.e. going through your GP first) and only being treated in your own Kanton, not being repatriated in the case of an accident to your Kanton etc. I think the OP wants to know the options within each insurer.

As I said, speak to Jenny.

Telmed might not work the way you think. You call them, they choose which doctor you have to go to. You don't get a choice unless you can argue well with a native on a telephone.

HMO practise is another thing. You always go to the same company, and usually to the same doctor. Just like a group practise operating in the UK. You can also usually choose your own eye doctor or "Frauenartzt"

There are several alternative models to the basic insurance :

• "LAMal/KVG" or "normal" insurance

You can see whichever doctor you like whenever you like

• Health/Doctor network

You can see any doctor as long as they are on the list provided by your insurance company.
In some cases, you have to name one of these doctors as your reference doctor.

• TelMed

You must call a 24hr number before seeing a doctor. With most companies you have free choice of doctor once you've called though some are getting more strict with only giving you a certain number of appointments etc.
For the most part, you still have free choice of doctor after the phone call has been made.

• HMO

You must use an HMO or clinic that your insurance company agrees to. There is generally a good selection of doctors.

• "GP" or "primary care physician" method

You name a GP (free choice of doctor) and agree to see this doctor first before seeing a specialist.
For children, you can use a paediatrician.
The doctor must be named and if you wish to change doctor, you must inform your insurance company first before seeing him/her.

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I think the best alternative method to use is the one that suits you the best.
e.g. in the UK, we have to see our GP first before going to see a specialist so this is something we're used to.

With regards to the TelMed option, most have English speakers on the other end of the line but this can't be guaranteed and so not many expats seem to go for this one.

In all cases, emergencies, gyncology, eyes, teeth etc. are exceptions to the rule.

N.B. Some companies are more strict than others and refuse to reimburse if you don't "play the game" so to speak.

Hope this helps

Thanks a lot I ended up taking TelMed from Avanex. He said i just have to call first if i get ill, but they help in English and i can still choose the doctor myself. Suits me fine!

Honestly, they all look the same to me. In the end, I love Switzerland but I'm really disappointed with the health care system and the mentality behind it. Here, you have to think as health care as a financial burden, rather than as a necessity. This system forces you to magically predict your future health problems when choosing your insurance plans, trying to get the best deal of course. If you're not a statistician, you're in trouble because it involves intense calculations. Why not treat health care as something human? Here, you buy into a plan (because it's mandatory) and then when you actually go to the doctor, you pay again. Systems like these never work and this has been proven time and time again. Proof of failure is evident when you receive a letter from your insurer at the end of the year telling you rates have increased, not based on factual and quantitative reasoning, but because they need to do the same thing as their competitors.

Why do you pay and then pay again?

We had a excellent health care from all the doctors we saw and the plan that suited us perfectly. We went to see whatever doctor we wanted whenever we wanted. Of course we were lucky that all visits were minor or routine.

We had dental and eye insurance included. Everything was paid with the insurance card so that the bill went directly to the insurance company.

Easy peasy +/-600CHF a month for two of us, I paid more, DH paid less through Intras.

Well said... I believe compared to rest of Europe (and world) we are better off with the health care in Switzerland.... Of course it would be hard to find the perfect system and hopefully something will be done to make the current system more cost efficient..

We have the telmed option. It's easy enough to call and I've never had a problem with non English speakers. You can always opt for seeing your own doctor, and the advice the call center can provide is very limited.

I'm familiar with the call center option. The hospital I worked for had a similar call center staffed by nurses in the US. It was very helpful in pediatric cases especially. Call centers don't work as well with adults with chronic illness - usually they need to see a physician. but in 3 years here, we have not had an issue with telmed.

If you have any chronic issues, I think adults at least should also take the low franchise.

When was this? We are just now looking at policies and the lowest basic for 2 adults (42, 48) is about 550 CHF with a deductible of 1500 each. Which means on top of the monthly premium we would need to 'pay again' for each visit until the deductible is met!!! And from what I've read so far - we would have to pay upfront and then file a claim. I will check with the company you mentioned to see if the plan you were on still exists.

At this point I would have to agree with those that think the Swiss healthcare is not good value - unless you get really sick - and have good doctors/hospitals in your area.

It is a real maze isn't it! We retired here a couple of years ago, and as we both have previous health conditions, we have been refused anything but basic Insurance. Our franchise is 500CHF- as we haven't claimed yet, our Insurance premiums have come down quite a lot. Now we get some of the more expensive meds when we go to the UK, paying in full with a private prescription. 2 of the drugs are 40% cheaper in the UK.

It was 2 years ago and we had the same company for 8 years in total. Actually I put +/-600 cuz I couldn't remember exactly how much it was. I only remembered it as 3XX each, so I should have written +/-700. I think by the end were we pay 320 & 360. We were under 40. We paid everything through the card and reconciled at the end of the year. I had great care and never had any complaints and we are not sickies.