If you are on a low income or unemployed, you may be eligible for a subsidy on your basic health insurance. Here are the cantonal bodies you need to contact :

AG - www.sva-ag.ch

AI - www.ai.ch

AR - www.ahv-iv-ar.ch

BE - www.jgk.be.ch/site/index/asvs

BL - www.sva-bl.ch

BS - www.asb-bs.ch

FR - www.caisseavsfr.ch

GE - www.geneve.ch/sam

GL - www.akgl.ch

GR - www.sva.gr.ch

JU - www.caisseavsjura.ch

LU - www.ahvluzern.ch

NE - www.ne.ch/neat/site/jsp/rubrique.jsp?StyleType=marron&CatId=1429

NW - http://nw.ausgleichkasse.ch

OW - www.ow.ch

SG - www.svasg.ch

SH - www.svash.ch

SO - www.akso.ch

SZ - www.augleichskasse.ch

TG - www.gesundheitsamt.tg.ch

TI - www.ti.ch/DSS/IAS/UffAM

UR - www.ch/de/gsud/afg/praemienverbilligungm446/

VD - http://www.vd.ch/index.php?id=8457

VS - www.avs.vs.ch

ZG - http://zg.ausgleichskasse.ch

ZH - www.svazurich.ch or www.stadt-zuerich.ch/sgd

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Hope this helps!

Hi Jenny

Thank you for this, it's really helpful. My husband has been on chomage for nearly a year now and we are obviously trying to cut cost as much as possible.

We will contact the OCC but do you know if they contribute towards your current insurance or make you change to a "cheaper" company?

Thanks again for your help

Cheers
Nats

They don't make you change companies, and they pay the subsidy directly to the insurer.

Exactly.

And, the amount given is related to your income and not related to how much you pay per month nor is it a percentage of your premium. It is a fixed amount which (normally) they review each year.

It sounds like it would definitely be worth looking into for you NatsBrit.

Another point to remember is that they will only cover your basic (LAMal / KVG) insurance and not the supplementary.

For those families who are on low income and have several children, it is worth looking into those companies who give the children free supplementary - be it for 12 months or until they're 18 - that way you get the basic paid for by the governement and the supplementary "given" by your insurance company leaving you with a whopping bill of 0.- for your kids supplementary

Normally after your first year here, at least in ZH, you get the SVA form automatically based on your last years salary (be sure to send it in ASAP!)

It ends up a bit silly if your income was depressed being a student, but then the 1st year of real working after graduating you are still entitled to the subsidy.

It's the same as the taxes in that way.
i.e. for those who don't pay tax at source but do the full declaration business.

Your taxes are based on last years earnings so, say one year you earn a healthy wage and then the following you are a student, you will have to pay your taxes on the big wage from the following year even though you're broke!

Good point - It is fair in the end (as all things swiss generally are), but it sure can hurt or be great depending on the end you are on!

Yup! lol

You can preemptively inform the tax office if you anticipate a higher or lower income in the current year. You can then pay the revised advance tax on account.

That avoids:

• Distress during falling income
• Paying interest on arrears taxes, when income is higher than previous year.

"Bumping" this page as it was linked today from another thread BUT it appears that some of the links in the OP of this thread are "dead"

Meanwhile, not only is the insurance info informative but so are some of the subsequent posts.

Hi Jenny,

Not sure how this all works, but your name has been mentioned a number of times as a good contact for sorting out Health insurance, so here goes.

I will be moving to Switzerland ASAP mid to lat Jan 2010 for about 6 months, I work as an IT contractor for a large invetsment bank, will be living on my own, aged 51 in good health. Who should I contact and how do I go about sorting out health insurance.

Purdueti

whats low income? amount wise

I suggest you send a PM direct to Jenny from here.

This is well worth anyone looking into even if you consider your income to be fairly average. We have 3 children, my wife wasn't working and even though I have a good job we qualified for health insurance relief

Hello!
This information could be very useful for students but unfortunately the page for Neuchatel does not exist (already). Thus, I was wondering if somebody with a student status succeeded in getting subsidy on health insurance from the canton of Neuchatel. I was told they usually declined subsidies for students.

Yes what is a low income?

just did a quick skim and around 60K per annum gross for a married couple seems to be the threshold...for ZH

Subsidy eligibility ZH 2011:

• Singles: max wealth 150k, max income 37.2k
• Married without children: max wealth 300k, max income 47.6k
• Married with children: as above except that children (not parents) are subsidized when the income is between 47.6k and 61.0k

http://www.ne.ch/neat/site/jsp/rubri...leu&CatId=1443

That;s the page with the thresholds for Neuchatel. It does give the reduction for adults en formation so I don't see why students wouldn't get it.

I am currently in the process of applying for this and am a PhD student so will post back on how it goes. Hopefully they will backdate the amount

Thanks for this Porsch1909!
I actually spoke to the cantonal health insurance office and it was they who told me that if was staying in c. Neuchatel to study, my demand for subsidy would be refused. The focus is on the purpose of you stay in the canton. I suppose that if your initial purpose would be, say, employment and you do you studies in parallel, they could grant you a subsidy.
What is your situation?
Anyway, good luck with your application and please let me know if there is any news.
Thanks