Hi - when we arrived here a couple of years ago, my OH was on a UK occupational pension- but not yet of official pensionable age. So we had to take out Swiss Health Insurance. He is now receiving in State pension from the UK on top of the other. What is the situation with regard to Swiss health Insurance now? Can he now opt out and be covered by EHIC? What about me, not working, but not yet receiving my UK pension (due to new reg, I have to wait a year). Thanks.

Moving to an EEA country,

The NHS is a residence-based healthcare system. Therefore, once you have moved permanently away from the UK you are no longer entitled to medical treatment under normal NHS rules.
You must notify your former GP so that you and your family can be removed from the NHS register.
You will also no longer be entitled to use your UK-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to access healthcare abroad.

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthc...ingabroad.aspx

but...

If you're receiving a UK state pension or long-term incapacity benefit, you may be entitled to healthcare paid for by the UK. You will need to apply for form S1 (or an E121 if you are moving to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland), which you need to present to the health authorities in your new country of residence. You will then be treated on the same basis as a resident of that country.
Once you have registered your S1 (or E121) in your new country of residence, you will be entitled to a UK-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), allowing you to access state-funded necessary medical treatment when you visit other EEA countries besides the one in which you are resident, including when you return to the UK.

This is all very useful info for cover when traveling in the EU countries under the EHIC via the UK The cover from the Swiss system might actually afford more benefits depending on the policy, but for emergency it's a great idea!

However it will not affect the mandatory cover required here. Even the Swiss when retired must have health cover; the pension has nothing to do with this cover, simply over your living costs replacing some of your wage.

ODILE: I take it you have a family health care plan in force right now?

Yes we do, of course, as OH was not eligible for his UK pension when we moved 2 years ago. He does receive his UK state pension now, and I will early next year.

This is the cover I'm afraid you will have to keep in place. Unfortunately as a by product of age the premiums will actually increase and you need to keep an eye on your supplementary cover benefits

Jenny is more of the authority on this area.

No supplementary cover - refused due to pre-existing conditions.

Sorry about that unfortunately often the case across a lot of the suppliers

Individual health insurance policy becomes important when seen in the backdrop that there are over 43 million people uninsured in the US. And among those insured 35 percent are not insured from private insurers. Is it because they don’t feel the need for insurance? Obviously it is not so.
With ever increasing health problems and accidents due to the rash driving by people, people feel more and more insecure. Still they don’t go for insurance because they don’t think they can find an affordable insurance policy for them. The concept that theIndividual health insurance policy companies are making huge money out of people’s pockets keeps them away from the insurance companies.
The fact is that there are companies that are genuine and have principles to follow. If you could reach to any of such companies you could certainly find an insurance policy to meet your specific needs and to fit to your budget. What is called the peace of mind is most important in these times of insecurity. Insurances bring you this peace of mind as you are assured you won’t have to bother for the unfortunate conditions that may knock your doors any time.
The way to assure you finalize your deal with a genuine company is to take help of your friends for their experiences with any such company. The other way is to look for testimonials on the websites of insurance companies. After these the way is to ask frank questions from the company or its agent. There are different plans to serve you in different forms for varying durations. The premiums you fill depend on many factors including your age, your marital status, nature of your employment, your present health status and so on.
The premiums are generally higher if you seek more facilities. Ensure in any case that many hospitals accept the insurance policy to provide you the health benefits. These hospitals must be well within your reach. If you have a medical problem and you want to change your insurer, you might be benefited by telling the new insurance company about the pre-existing medical condition you are suffering from.

Where to purchase Health Insurance coverage for Personal Employed

If you’re self employed and don’t enjoy sponsored group health care insurance benefits, it is essential that you purchase health insurance by yourself to strengthen financial protection from the onslaught of health issues and lack of income. Self employed medical insurance can make reference to various kinds of medical programs, such because individual or even family health care insurance, small business health care insurance and so on.
When you’re become self-employed, you have to deal with many things that you’ve taken with regard to granted formerly while employed in a company. Most important of, if you don’t have any personal health care insurance plans and also have been with respect to the low price insurance worker benefits to date, this could be a waking phone. Without 1, you have to cover all treatments, hospitalizations, prescription medications etc out of your own pocket book. Never attempt to skimp on self-employed medical insurance being that they are still regarded as pretty affordable when compared with other expenses you might encounter within life.
Try self-insurance. You may gasp at the idea of footing the actual bill for all your medical costs of the people as well as your family, but it isn’t as scary while you think. Most companies provide a combination plan which has a high deductible along with a side account to pay for the costs that occur between your employee’s deductible and also the plan’s higher deductible. The little businessman pays reasonably limited each 30 days. Part from it goes towards the savings take into account upfront costs and also the other component pays the greater inexpensive higher deductible insurance coverage premium. In case your company is actually young as well as healthy, these kinds of plans frequently save lots of money. Medical cost savings accounts (MSA) tend to be individual insurance coverage that work exactly the same way.

There's some useful information in this thread about UK pensioners being able to have their Swiss health insurance paid for... particularly post 12.

No personal experience but some friends of mine went through the process described and got their health insurance paid for... so may be worth a shot?

On a side note, could that information be added to a sticky perhaps? It seems to me that this could be very useful... and I had a real pig of a time finding the above thread! I had to e-mail my dad, who had spotted the thread when it was originally active, he sent me an e-mail he'd sent to our friends with one of the posts quoted, and I've just spent ten minutes trying to find the thread via search! (For example, uk pension health insurance doesn't bring it up...). No idea how to get something sticky-fied...

Re: Advice sought for UK retiree - insurance coverage whilst in CH

08.11.2009, 21:13 Post #12


A UK Pensioner automatically qualifies for the Health Insurance cover. It is identical to the Basic cover required for all Swiss residents - doctors and specialist treatment,hospital, medication etc. The system is the same , you pay the first 300 francs claimed in a year and 10% of all further claims. It is administered by Institution commune LAMAL Solothurn. (kvg.0rg). We use it through our local Swiss GP.

We were first informed of this benefit by the UK Pension Service once we informed them we were permanently living in Switzerland. Anyone wanting further details suggest they contact initially in UK:

The Pension Service, Medical benefits,Newcastle,NE98 1BA
+44 191 21 87777
www.thepensionservice.gov.uk
email: tvp.internationalqueries@thepensionservice.gsi.gov .uk

Hope this helps.

Thanks to: monty44 Newbie 1st class

Join Date: Jan 2008
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We have been to Institution commune LAMal in Solothurn city.

http://tel.local.ch/en/q/?what=LAMAL...id=directories ,

Institution commune LAMal
Gibelinstrasse 25, 4500 Solothurn
Tel.: 032 625 30 30

and their reply just might be useful to somebody.

If you are receiving a Swiss AHV pension you are not entitled to help.

Otherwise, if you are receiving a UK government pension and no Swiss AHV pension, then it would be worth you contacting LAMal in Solothurn. They will pay all your medical expenses subject to a 10% contribution from you, and a CHF 300 excess, ( nothing reimbursed until you have spent CHF 300,-- )

We finally got the correct forms, filled in correctly from the UK. Form S101 (not S1 as rest of Europe). We took them in in person to the Solothurn office, so we could ask some questions and make sure all is OK, and that accidents are covered too, including skiing, etd. We dealt with Herr Alexander Reinman- a young chap who speaks excellent English (my OH speaks French but no German). All sorted. We will be entitled to all premiums paid since OH 65th birthday refunded, then covered above as described above by Ittigen. That will really really help (exchange rate is playing havoc here). Thanks again Ittigen for all your advice here and by pms.