What I said was "Regarding VHI I did have a look at their website and while they quote what their policy covers I couldn’t find the actual policy conditions so I can’t say much about it, although it does seem to be designed for travel rather than residence in another country". If the authorities are satisfied then you have no problem but, obviously, it would be a good idea to have this in writing.

I don't know what your occupation is but if you are a student or researcher then it may come under a special exception and, if this is the case, have a look at this thread.

Actually what you said was.......

Giving advice is one thing, telling someone they are in an illegal situation is quite another.

There are obviously some exceptions, but as they accept the VHI Global Health Insurance under the 'Obligatorische Krankenversicherung' return for internal transfers between international company offices then it obviously meets their requirements.

I presume that you have now made the an application to your kanton and your VHI policy has the necessary written acceptance. In this case then your situation is now correct but before it was clearly not if you did not have the basic Swiss insurance or acceptance of an alternative.
My original comment about being in an illegal situation was addressed to Eire who has apparently been here 2 years without either a Swiss policy or approval for his VHI policy. Hope this clarifies my comments.

Hi all
I'd like to resurrect this thread, the discussion didn't seem to come to a firm conclusion. I'm on the point of moving to Luzern and the VHI is quoting me €3000 per annum for a Global policy (family of five), which seems to be good value compared to the Swiss quotes I'm getting.
Other posters have suggested that you must buy Swiss insurance, can anyone point me to the specific legislative or regulatory provision (in German or in English) that requires you to have Swiss (as opposed to adequate) insurance?
A second question is does anyone know if the Swiss health insurance market features community rating and risk equalisation? If it does not, this might explain why the VHI is cheaper. I have been a member with them for 20 years and the Global policy is a product for those Paddies who are likely to be abroad only for a few years and will be coming back to regular VHI membership.

it says here in an article i found on http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/krank...x.html?lang=en article entitled ''your questions our answers'' and in it it has this written i tried to look into it but couldnt understand it much! so basically what i read from that is if we already have our own insurance from back home then we do not need to take out any other swiss insurance over here!!

am i right or have i totally miss read it?

The short answer is yes under certain circumstances, therefore the next step is to check with the authorities that your circumstances are regarded as special.

As far as I know the VHI is an additional health insurance in Ireland which deals with addionals like eye surgery, dental treatments etc. The basics health insurance (bhi) are payed with your income taxes.
In Switzerland it is a bit different because you dont pay the bhi in your tax, that is why you have to have the bhi mandatory. But you can choose between different companies and prices.
For all additions you can choose different policies for example Eye surgery or dental t. which cost ~10sfr/month/person.
I would suggest to arrange a meeting with your GP and discuss the issue with him about a non planed visit in a Swiss hospital with beeing resident and dont pay swiss health insurance.
It would be the same as I would tell the state that they have to reduce my tax payment because I pay health insurance in Switzerland.
It dont work like that.

This is not entirely correct. In Ireland everyone who works pays PRSI (Pay Related Social Insurance), I think this is what you are referring to as "bhi". PRSI is your contribution towards unemployment assistance, public pension etc. As far as I am aware it could also be partly for the HSE (Health Service Executive) but I am not sure about this.

In Ireland we have a public health system like in the UK. People who earn below a certain threshold get a medical card and this provides them with access to medical services on a public basis. People are entitled to a basic health service almost free of charge (you pay something like 50euro for a A&E visit etc). If you want private or semi-private care then you need to get VHI. The majority of people choose to take VHI as it limits waiting time for non essential surgery etc.

Things like Dental cover are a separate issue under the Irish system.

What people need to realise is that VHI global is a different product (for Irish people, who are resident outside the republic of Ireland and intend to return.)

I will be very soon putting in a claim with VHI global for Dental care I have recieved in Switzerland. I will report here on how the claim goes.


Agreed, there is no real public health system in Switzerland as there is in Ireland so you need to have a form of private health Insurance. The product VHI offer for Irish people abroad should really cover this!!!

Its not quite the same, it would be more like not paying your AHV (I think this is the correct term) in Switzerland rather then not paying your health insurance.
As a Swiss person you need to have some form of Insurance in Ireland. EU citizens are covered under their public health systems in their home country and there is an agreement on medical care carried out in member states (Form E111 as far as I remember).

But I dont pay VHI here in Ireland and nobody of my colleges pay for it either.
On the other hand the company that I am working for would pay a good amount on VHI if you become a member.
Therefore it is not mandatory.
It is definitly not the same as not paying AHV (Alters und Hinterlassenen Versicherung).

And you are not required to pay VHI in Ireland... what you have to realise is that your PRSI payment is NOT a health insurance payment. Most companies have a VHI group scheme which gives a reduction on VHI costs should you choose to join.

I never said VHI was mandatory... what I did say is that there is no basic health insurance included in your taxes, and if you want to get more then public health cover then you will need some form of health insurance. I'm not sure of the technicalities of a non-EU person being treated in an Irish hospital, like I said EU citizens can fill out form E111 and be treated as an Irish citizen. If this covers a Swiss person is down to how far the bilateral agreement goes, but since it doesn't cover an Irish person in Switzerland, I would guess it wouldn't work the other way around either! (speculation). Your Swiss health insurance should still cover you in Ireland should you need it.

Maybe I mixed up the AHV... but what you pay in PRSI in Ireland is the equivalent to what we pay in Switzerland for pension, unemployment assistance etc... it is not krankenkasse.

I suggest you look at your payslip again... The two main deductions in Ireland are... PRSI... which I already explained... and PAYE (Pay As You Earn) which is your tax. There may be other deductions for a private pension fund or VHI if you had it. Read through it and speak to an Irish person who knows how it works... and find out for sure that you are covered by the public health system if you have no health insurance.

VHI Global covered me in Switzerland in the two years I was here as a student. However, I now have an overpriced Swiss health insurance, but would be delighted to dump this and go back to VHI Global if I could figure out whether or not it was legal but alas, I don't think it is.

This is the 6million euro question!!!

I am personally trying to stay on an L permit as long as possible so there is no issue about this. I think the wording of the VHI policy is pretty clear in that if you are Irish and intend to return home then the policy is for you... My guess is if you go to a C-Permit, or marry a Swiss person etc you would find it difficult to fulfil the terms. Since under the bilateral agreement needs to recognise insurance purchased outside CH, there should be no reason why you can not have VHI global if fulfil the requirements of the policy.

My biggest question should be answered fairly soon once I submit my claim for dental work.

I do know how it works here in Ireland. But I wanted to explain you why and what is different to the health insurance in Switzerland.
First of all it is mandatory because the basic health insurance is not included in
IV, AHV, ALV (it is PRSI without basic health insurace)
IV Invaliden Versicherung (if you become disabled)
AHV Alters und Hinterlassenen Versicherung (state pension)
ALV Arbeitslosen Versicherung (if you get unemployed)
Pensionskasse (personal and company contributed pension)

I am basic insured here in Ireland by the company (PRSI) but am so stupid to listen to the Swiss Insurer that I also pay for a European Health Insurance which is more expensive than the VHI.

You need to understand the difference between health insurance and health contribution!

You make a health contribution with your PRSI, this is 2% of your PRSI goes to the HSE. For that you get access to the public health system. If you become ill you will get a public room in a hospital... if you need surgery you will be put on a waiting list unless it is immediately life threatening. You are covered for accident and emergency, but you will have to pay a 50Euro subsidy, and the same if you visit a GP... There is no claiming any of the money you pay back, but you may be able to offset it against tax (PAYE)!

This differs from health Insurance. You are quite wise to pay the extra for a European health insurance.. shoudl something happen to you it will get you past the waiting lists which have become notorious in Irish hospitals!

You are correct in Switzerland there is no contribution towards a public health system so everyone has to have private health insurance...

There is a subtle difference in what I am saying here... but in the end it won't matter to you since you have a private health insurance too... If you were relying on your PRSI Health contribution and you required hospital treatment you may not be so happy with things.

I believe you when you say that none of your colleagues have VHI, but believe me when I say this is NOT the norm. The vast majority of people who do not qualify for a medical card take VHI. Those who have a medical card to not have to pay the 50 Euro GP visit fee etc...

Anyway the thread was about Irish people using their VHI in Switzerland... rather then Swiss people using the public health system in Ireland. Forgive me if I seem pushy... but you will notice the difference between insurance and contributions if you need to use the health service in Ireland.

Take it from someone who has been in an Irish hospital a few times!

hey, i live in basel and have just gotten my B permit, now if i want to take out VHI global insurance where do I need to go to ask if the Basel Stadt attorities will accept this? do I need to go back to the office where I got my B permit or do i need to go somewhere else? any guess`s guys?

I would probably call the local gemeinde/kreis bureau to see about it. I think the one catch could be proving that you intend to return to Ireland... I'm guessing you are Irish!!! If not VHI won't cover you.