why is Geneva more expensive than other cantons?

Hi,

Im new in Switzerland and never had any serious health problems (touch wood). I will go for the cheapest insurer with the highest franchise (2500?). Is there something else Im missing out and should look for? Which system (GP, HMO, telmed) would you recommend to keep costs low?
Many thanks!

Good question....

The premiums for the basic insurance are based on the medical costs in that canton.
Therefore, we can conclude that :

i) Medical (especially hospital) costs are higher in Geneva than in other cantons
ii) People use their insurance more in Geneva than in other cantons.

With regards to number ii), if you live in the middle of the Swiss countryside and your nearest doctor is a 20 minute drive away, you're only going to go and see him/her if you really, really need to.
In Geneva, there are lots of doctors and the likelihood of having one in your building, or next door, or near work is higher and therefore people sometimes go "just in case" which apparently happens less in the other cantons.

You could also argue that there is more pollution in Geneva and other big towns than up the Alpes and therefore people get ill more easily and therefore need the doctors more.

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Inswift Sàrl

The best alternative system to use is the one which bothers you the least...

e.g. if you don't yet speak French or German and are not comfortable on the phone in general, then the TelMed option is probably not the one for you.

Or, some people like the freedom of being able to see any doctor (GP or specialist) whenever they like and therefore the GP method is probably not the best one.

It is sometimes not worth saving 10.- / month if you get annoyed on top of being ill every time you're ill!

Some of them do offer good discounts though (depending on where you live) so it's definitely worth looking into

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Inswift Sàrl

You would be shocked at the criteria they look at....Our town has a fair amount of people doing laborous jobs. (construction, factory, etc) Oberrieden supposedly has a higher percentage of white collar employees in banks, offices and their premiums are less.

All of this is logical, the amount of research the companies do is staggering.

I haven't read all of this thread so maybe this has been answered. I entered Switzerland in February, got my insurance with EGK for a reasonable price and now they have tried to put it up by almost 30%???!! Thats a fair way off the 2.2% average increase. Is this normal? Do they lure you in with a cheap quote and then bump it up as soon as they can? Needless to say I cancelled and now have to go through all the guff of finding another company

Hmm, we're in Bern but our Visana quotes have both gone up for next year. Should they not have been reduced too?

Not necessarily. I think it depends on the individual companies. Innova seems to have been more expensive than many.

No, they don't (and can't) lure you in with cheap premiums and then bump them up.

They all change their premiums every calender year (mainly they go up...).

30% is a huge increase. Did you change age categories? (e.g. 25 to 26)

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for the messages. For the benefit of the others on this forum, no I don't think I did change an age category. I turn 29 in Jan.

Cheers,

Tim

Hi everybody,
I think i have a big problem and you could possibly help me!
Im a phd student in bern but unfortunatelly i passed more then 3 monts in Switzerland so i cannot profit from a student inssurance!!!
So i have to find an inssurance compagny witch doesnt requires back-dated payments...someone has an idea?
Thanx a lot in advance

If you haven't shown your canton proof of insurance 3 months after you got registered, they will automatically assign you an insurer who will back date your payments (all of the Swiss insurers will). Are you sure you cannot sign up for student insurance anymore? Try calling a company like Swisscare a.s.a.p. to sort this out: http://www.swisscare-intl.com/swissc...itzerland.html

I've just gone over my 90 days tourist grace period and should really choose an insurance provider soon. So quick question, should I opt for one with accident cover or not? I've been offered employment but still awaiting on a contract (which hopefully doesn't fall through). If I choose to opt for accidents cover, can I then amend the policy later on when I am covered by my employer's insurance, or the other way round?

(also, Jenny I'd be happy to give you my details if you get a commission etc. OH and I are looking to get our insurance policies sorted. thanks!)

Yes for sure i cannot take swisscare!!!I called them!!! Are you absolutelly sure about this back-date paying?

Please read the FAQs on this forum: Health Insurance FAQs
Especially the part "What happens if I don't bother getting health insurance?"
There is also a governmental website: http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/krank...x.html?lang=en