Hello,

I’m looking at how retirement in EU countries would look for us and one of the items at the top of the list is access to public/state-run health insurance.

The UK does have a process to access an EU country‘s public health insurance, by using the S1 form, see eg https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/hea...ur-healthcare/

Does Switzerland have something similar to UK‘s S1 form ? How is it possible for a retiree from Switzerland to access the retirement country‘s state-run health insurance?

From the link:

"If you receive both a pension from the country you now live in and your UK State Pension, you cannot get an S1 form. This is because the country you live in will be responsible for your healthcare.

If you receive your UK State Pension as well as a pension from an EU member state, but are now living in a different EU state, the country to which you paid contributions toward your pension for the longest period becomes responsible for your healthcare."

Iirc, even if you move to the UK you'd still have to keep up your Swiss health insurance payments since they'd be responsible for any medical expenses. Try searching the forum to confirm that though because I'm not 100% sure.

I think this is the link you are looking for!

Pensioners resident in an EU/EFTA country
In 2002 the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the EU (AFMP) and the EFTA Convention led to the harmonisation of social security systems. For this reason, recipients of a Swiss pension resident in an EU/EFTA country, as well as non-working family members, are subject to compulsory health insurance in Switzerland.
Persons drawing a pension from their country of residence must take out health insurance in that country.
Persons drawing pensions from several countries (but not from their country of residence) must take out health insurance in the country in which they paid contributions for the longest period.

Is it only the Swiss state health insurance part that will need ongoing contributions or it would also need private health insurance contributions ?

There is no "Swiss state health insurance", just "private health insurance".

Tom

Thanks ! Does this mean someone retiring in an EU country must keep paying both state and private health insurance in Switzerland or it’s only state part that needs ongoing contributions ?

I see, then costs would be prohibitive

You would keep paying the health insurance as you do now. Basic health insurance (not supplementary) - I'm not sure what you mean by state when it comes to Switzerland, there is only basic (compulsory) and supplementary (not compulsory).

Looks like if you can get an EHIC card at the country of residence, then provided this is an EU country, then you’re exempt from contributions in Switzerland

I thought that if you worked in Switzerland up until you retire, then move to another country within EU, you have to keep paying Swiss health insurance https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home...m-ausland.html

I deleted that post after I realised that I didn't really know the details, TBH.

FMF can confirm that he's retired in Malta and still paying Swiss health insurance.

Tom

Depends, you have to look at the details in my case:
Return to the UK = No
Portugal = No as I paid in more years to the UK than in Switzerland. (can use the UK -2- Portugal agreement to get local Portuguese health insurance)

Caution in the case of Portugal you need to prove your health insurance within 3 months of leaving otherwise you are going to get monthly bills forever for the Swiss health insurance as I understand it.

It depends on which country you decide to retire to and which insurance company you select. Last time I looked you could get Ireland for about 150 Francs a month.

Depending on the circumstances, if you can travel, you always have the option of returning to Switzerland for treatment.

Probably not going to happen unless you are a citizen of the state you retired to. Even then it is difficult, I tried to do it for Ireland and because I would receive no part of my pension from Ireland it was a no.

Your Swiss insurance includes the EHIC card in most cases.

As said there is no state health insurance in Switzerland, it's all private.

Do Swiss basic health insurance premiums have a different price depending on the location you choose to retire ?

Yes and not all insurance companies provide a product to cover people retiring abroad.

Slightly off-topic, but what's the situation on health cover since Brexit for UK nationals moving back to the UK? Do we still have to pay Swiss health insurance or are things different now the UK is a non-EU country?

Sorry to hijack this thread, but maybe one of you can shed light for me. OH and I are still 5 years away from retirement age, we moved to France in 2018 and I set up a micro enterprise to top up our income. Our other income is the disability pension OH gets from Switzerland.

When we reach retirement age will OH have to “buy” Swiss health insurance even though he is now covered, through my enterprise, by the French system? His only income at present is from Switzerland, he will receive pensions from the U.K., Belgium and Switzerland, the U.K. being where he has most qualifying years?

Hope that makes sense, he is stressing about this and needs an answer. We have read the links given above but are not sure what rules will apply.