Hi, everybody! I am a new member of the forum and recently moved to Switzerland to attend a Ph.D. program in Zurich
Since I hold an Italian passport and I am still in education, as far as I understand I have the choice to apply for obtaining exemption from the compulsory health insurance. The trick is that, if I get ill, I have to pay the medical expenses with my money and then claim a refund from my birth country. In your opinion, considering that luckily I don't have health issues at all, is this a risk worth taking or not?

Its called compulsory for a reason, simply advice take out the minimum level since there is a good chance that if you need it your current insurance wont be enough.

You may be healthy but even accidents can happenand cost 10s of 1000s

You won't get away with that if you live here.

Have a look at this webpage. It is written the following:

I am sure that I belong to one of this categories, since all my Italian colleagues obtained the exemption we are talking about.

Since you have Italian colleagues who are doing this, isn't it more logical to listen to them and not us (mostly non-Italians)?

Personally I'd pay 150-200chf per month for that Krankenkasse thingy. But I am not Italian.


I have friends who have Dual-citizenships ITA-CH. They still pay CH krankenkasse willingly.

So you have your answer already and already had it before you asked it seems

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear I do know that I am eligible for the exemption, what I was wondering is if it worth it!

From the very top of the linked page:
Isn't student permit also a residence permit? Pretty much says it all. A few Franks a month for the minimum - Can imagine students get a pretty good rate.
JC

EDIT: Health coverage worth it? Yes.

Simply answer if the exemptiom is worth it - NO

Basic cover is cheap for a single person and worth a fortune. The amounts I quoted are not made up but personal experience I had cover so it was a saviour

Let me add an example.

An ambulance ride from the Zurich lake to the University Hospital (say 5 mins max), with a 2-hour examination of a bleeding finger, cost 2800chf cash.
Luckily my swiss boss covered it under his expense account. I was not covered during that first week in CH.

It's true, there's special health insurance for foreign lecturers, researches and students in Switzerland – they pay only about 1/4 of the usual premium for mandantaroy health insurance:

http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/schweiz/...story/31703757

Thank you all for your precious help! I would like to discuss with you a particular health insurance company: is that against the rules of the forum?

Hi, I've heard that someone got accepted the exemption with the Italian coverage. Anyway, this person is staying in Switzerland only a few months.
I think that if you change residency to Switzerland (that is to say you register to AIRE - anagrafe italiani residenti all'estero) you lose the coverage from Italian national health system, so you should go for a private insurance anyway.
Anyway, Wallabies, I don't understand your answer. The exemption consists in getting the coverage from a non-Swiss insurance, which has to offer the same coverage as LaMal. Is LaMal too basic?

Lots of very uninformed and misguided replies here.

You are allowed to be exempted from Swiss compulsory health insurance if you fall in one of the categories above and have a foreign insurance which covers everything the Swiss compulsory health insurance does.

People using this exemption are covered for healthcare in Switzerland to the exact same level as anyone else by their foreign insurance, and do not take any subsidy off Switzerland or its taxpayers. This "benefit" seems to be in return for the fact that the residence of these people are not counted towards residence requirements for C permits, and their B permits cannot be indefinitely renewed.

Some cantons do not allow this exemption, and it appears it may disappear altogether in the near future (no news on the change in the residence requirements though).

The most commonly used foreign insurance companies which provide the full Swiss level of care laid down in the KVG/LAMAL are Swisscare and Tradiconsult - a quick search using the search bar above will tell you much more.

But if I get ill, am I supposed to pay with my money in advance?

Depends on the company, but generally yes. However, e.g. you can ring Swisscare and arrange for them to pay up front in exceptional cases (very large costs, incapacitation, etc.)

Read terms and conditions carefully before choosing your insurer.

You should be covered retrospectively from the day you arrive.

And does the same apply if I get an exemption as explained above?

To get the exemption, you need a foreign insurer. How you reimburse that foreign insurer is a separate question, an it depends on the company. Each company has different rules on how you pay - check them before signing up with them. With Swisscare (the most popular) you pay up front.

So, why don't you tell us if you have equivalent Italian health insurance coverage that qualifies for coverage in Switzerland or not?

If you don't, you are wasting your time... and ours. Buy Swiss health insurance.
JC