Health insurance deductible in Switzerland: CHF 300 or CHF 2'500? How to decide with the numbers

The deductible (called “franchise” in Switzerland) is the amount you pay yourself each year for basic-insurance treatment before the insurer pays its share: CHF 300 for an adult, or CHF 500, 1'000, 1'500, 2'000 or 2'500 if you choose a higher one (priminfo, FOPH, 2027 premiums). Above the deductible you pay the co-payment, 10% of the costs, at most CHF 700 a year for adults. A higher deductible lowers the premium, but in a given year it pays off only if your treatment costs stay below a break-even point, which you work out with a formula and the premium difference read on the official priminfo calculator.

Updated October 2026. Sources (pages in German): priminfo and its FAQ (Federal Office of Public Health, FOPH); Fedlex, KVG (health insurance act) and KVV (ordinance); Budgetberatung Schweiz, Krankenkasse and budget examples 2025/26 (viewed on 14 October 2026).

Deductible CHF 300 or CHF 2'500: how do you choose?

You choose by comparing how much the premium falls with how much more you could pay if you fall ill. With CHF 300 the premium is higher and deductible plus co-payment together stay at CHF 1'000 a year at most; with CHF 2'500 the premium falls, but the maximum rises to CHF 3'200 (2'500 + 700).

According to priminfo, a higher deductible is worth considering if you are healthy, rarely see a doctor and have enough money set aside for unexpected treatment; with frequent or regular treatment a low deductible is better. This guide recommends no level.

How do the deductible and the 10% co-payment work?

The deductible is a fixed amount per calendar year; above it you pay the co-payment (Selbstbehalt in German, quote-part in French), 10% of the costs that exceed it (KVG art. 64). The yearly caps (KVV art. 103):

• Adults: co-payment at most CHF 700 a year; CHF 1'000 in all with the CHF 300 deductible, or the chosen deductible plus CHF 700. In hospital, CHF 15 a day usually comes on top.
• Children: no deductible in ordinary insurance (optional CHF 100 to 600), co-payment at most CHF 350 per child.
• Calendar year: the treatment date counts; on 1 January you start again from zero, and treatment that runs over New Year can make you pay the cost share twice.

The break-even point, with the formula

A higher deductible pays off in a given year only if the premium difference is larger than what you pay extra for treatment. For an adult the break-even, in francs of treatment costs a year, is 300 + yearly premium difference ÷ 0.9: below it the higher deductible costs less, above it more, because with the CHF 300 deductible you would pay 10% of the costs above 300 anyway.

1. In the priminfo premium calculator, read the monthly premium of your insurer and your model with the CHF 300 deductible and with the one you are considering: the difference times 12 is the yearly premium difference.
2. Put it into the formula and compare the break-even with the treatment costs you expect; the deductible calculator compares total yearly costs.

A simplified estimate with maximums for adults, not promised amounts: if the insurer grants a smaller discount (at most 70% of the extra risk, KVV art. 95), the break-even falls too, and it need not offer every level. Instead of 300, use the lower of the two deductibles you compare (for a child, 0).

When can you change your deductible?

The new deductible applies from 1 January: a higher one can be chosen only from the start of a calendar year, a lower one at the end of the year (KVV art. 94). To act in time, priminfo’s page on switching insurer advises telling your insurer by 15 November, in both cases (as of October 2026).

The priminfo FAQ (as of October 2026) adds: a lower deductible, possible whatever your health, must be notified in writing by the last working day of November; for a higher one it recommends writing by mid-December at the latest. See also the deadlines calendar and how to switch health insurance.

The reserve for medical costs

With a high deductible the risk is yours, and the deductible and co-payment cannot be insured (KVG art. 64 para. 8). Budgetberatung Schweiz writes that you must set the worst case aside (with CHF 2'500, a bill of CHF 3'200) and, if you cannot, recommends the lowest deductible despite the higher premium.

How to put it in your budget

Keep two separate lines: the premium, a fixed monthly cost, and the deductible, a reserve to build. Write the 2027 monthly premium under fixed costs; set the reserve target at the deductible plus CHF 700 for an adult, divide it by the months you have and add it to the household budget template.

For the lowest deductible and part of the co-payment, Budgetberatung Schweiz plans CHF 40 a month for a single person, 80 for a couple and 100 for a family with two children in its 2025/26 examples. More levers: reducing fixed costs.

Rappn, a free Swiss app (iOS and Android) that compares the current promotions of seven Swiss retailers and turns receipts into a spending overview, covers groceries only: no premium, no deductible. You photograph a receipt, upload it from your gallery or enter a purchase by hand, and the app sorts your purchases into categories and shows your spending by month. Rappn is building an AI assistant for groceries: you can join the waitlist.