If anyone has SWICA insurance - Please share your thoughts and coverage on them. We are from the US moving to Basel in a few months and this is the ins my partner's company is telling us to go with (I am assuming it is Global insurance)

Just wondering how global insurance works?

We've been with SWICA for the last approx. 10 years and so far we're very happy with their services. Fast, no hassle, good range of services and policy-possibilities.
I assume by "global" insurance you mean coverage in every last nook and cranny of the world. This will probably depend on which policy you decide on. We have a card (credit card format) called "Sante 24" = international certificate of health insurance which lists a tel. number for calling to get a guarantee of payment worldwide in emergencies. If your partner's company is recommending them, then I'll assume that they have some kind of special deal concerning premiums. My husband's employer has the same, so we get special rates. Well worth it considering the price of health insurance in Switzerland! If you are employed, then accident insurance will be covered by the company and will only be necessary for the person who is not employed.

http://www2.swica.ch/?language=en-US

Swica are much too expensive compared to other insurance companies.

Check out comparis.ch for an insurance price comparison.

I don't believe that there is such a thing as good service for a health insurance. As long as they pay back your health expenses they provide good service IMO. The premium price should be the main factor of choice.

swica contributes Fr.600 towards our fitness club membership, which is about Fr.400 more than other companies.

If you gave me CHF 800.- a year I'd be ready to fund your fitness club membership to a level of CHF 600.- too.

TBH I have not looked into it in detail but my mother is with Swica and I can't believe it when she tells me how much she pays (something like CHF 600.- per month) while I pay something like CHF 280.- per month (with KPT /CPT). True she has extra private options but still, it seems much too expensive.

Don't you think I would have worked that out?

anyway...
Fr.600? Shocking.

We are 2 adults and 2 kids, both adults on full privat and the wife on the lowest deductible, and the monthly premium totals about Fr.800.

Being on the lowest deductible is what is expensive because it actually means you might cost the insurance something.

We are both on the lowest deductible.

My mother is old (well older than me ) and lives in Geneva so maybe those are factors that contribute to her premiums being so high? However I am pretty sure you will find that Swica is never the cheapest insurance (in any canton). The main reason for that is that they do a lot of advertising while the cheaper companies don't.

I disagree with you. We were insured with SWICA while we were in Japan (being sent abroad as a Swiss national for a Swiss company qualifies you) and they were great. They accepted faxed claims and were prompt to repay what they owed. Other colleagues with other insurers had one administrative hassle after the other. SWICA are not the cheapest, but they are reliable and do offer good service.

Cheapest is sometimes more and in my book, health insurance is not where you start cutting corners....

I hate to burst your bubble but when you get to your mother's age, you too will be paying more....

I am with SWICA and find them fine - never had a problem. I'm stuck with them now, because I had an expensive operation here a few years ago.

Now, Novartis have negotiated a deal with SWICA, so if you go for HMO, you may well find that you get a competitive price. However, for anything above that, you'll most likely be paying considerably more than you need to.

I found the Basel SWICA HMO service particularly bad, and I'm not the only one. I switched to the next higher level, which allows me to go to any doctor within Basel, and any doctor in an emergency. Much more suitable for me and my family.

Although the cover is global, they recommend that for the US, you get additional coverage, as medical costs are so much higher.

__________________
Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

This is where my partner will be working so with them we are going with basic (Favorit Telmed)

the prices are crazy for a family of 3 (2 adults and 1 child) we are going to be paying CHF 1211 a month - we are so use to the US where Novartis here covers us and we only pay about $300 a month for everything. But we want to make sure we have global cause we will be going back and forth within US/Switz and where ever he has to travel and with a little one i want her to have topnotch ins

I have had a bad experience with SWICA. Well, experience is over stated has it took them 4 months to try to process my application since I moved to CH, without any luck! I lost patience and dump them for, what look like so far, an as good and even cheapper company, SANA24.
SWICA contributes towards "promotion of fitness and health" to various levels, so does SANA24 and probably others too.

Well, I hope you have a better experience with the medical centre on Freiestrasse than I did. Also, it took one of my friends weeks for him to be able to see a specialist. I can just make an appointment to see anyone I want to.

Where you live has a significant effect on your premiums. I live in Baselland, and pay ~CHF750 a month for me, my wife, two teenagers and one nearly teenager... but that's with max excess (franchise), CHF2'500, for the adults.

I am with SWICA by my last employer, now I have to pay by my self and the amount I had to pay last month was 295CHF plus 795CHF, now I got another cheque that needs to get paid 265 CHF,

I am single and trying to save money right now, I am pretty fit and healthy, but is it really worth it paying so much since I live here in Switzerland all by myself?

Is there a cheaper Health Insurance that basically I can transfer too without loosing the benefits that I already paid at SWICA?

I have been very happy with Swica, especially their customer service and the speed of processing payments.

Not sure what deductible and supplementary you picked, but that sounds a lot. We have a family of 4 (2 adults 2 kids) and are with SWICA for 2 years. I have been very pleased with the prompt claims and all English communication. We have supplementary that covers overseas doctor's visit and medicines. All have been paid every single time and no questions asked. We paid a little over 900CHF per month. I chose the highest deductible since i never have to see a doctor, my wife chose a moderately low deductible and her premium is almost a 100CHF more than mine. Kids are all zero deductible.

At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, what you value more. Your pleasant time spent in Switzerland or the frustration dealing with all the issues in a foreign language you have not yet master. I chose to pay and let them serve me!

We have been happy with SWICA for the last 8 years. We two adults pay around 650-700CHF per month for one low and one middle level franchise. None of us is good in German so being able to communicate in English with SWICA is a big advantage to us. We sent several emails to them asking different questions and in most cases we got reply in English the next day. No problem with claiming expenses we paid directly so far.

I am also with SWICA and a very happy customer.
Being Novartis one of their best customers, I think we always get max attention when there is an issue or a response is required.
I would not compare the US prices vs SWICA's as *everything* is going to be more expensive for you here, so be prepared!


EDIT: oups, i have just realized this is a zombie thread! :-/

Hi everybody,
I know this is and old thread but I thought I would Ask if the ppl who commented here, still recommend SWiCA, especially the telmed model.
Also can somebody confirm that all swiss insurances Automatically provide coverage (equivalent to the coverage in CH) in countries of the EU? Also if my insurance is from Zurich, am I covered in other kantons?
Thanks in advance

I switched from Assura to Swica a few years ago. I find Swica way more straightforward and user friendly. I have a supplement from them as well that fully covers me when I travel to the states, and also contributes to stuff like gym memberships and alternative treatments (such as medical massage.) If you use those kinds of services it's worth it.