Almost 40 percent of adults in Switzerland see gaps in basic health insurance

Dissatisfaction with the coverage provided by basic health insurance is widespread: 38.5 percent of the adult population in Switzerland perceive gaps in the compulsory health insurance system. Accordingly, 48.2 percent of adults in Switzerland have a strong interest in obtaining additional insurance coverage for illness or accidents. However, the barriers to taking out supplementary insurance are high. High premiums for supplementary insurance are mentioned as an obstacle to purchasing a policy significantly more often than in 2025. This is shown by the second representative Comparis analysis of the supplementary insurance market.

Women and middle-aged people are particularly likely to perceive gaps

38.5 percent of respondents believe that there are some or very many gaps in the coverage provided by basic health insurance. This means that more than one-third of respondents perceive deficiencies in insurance coverage. Women perceive gaps significantly more often than men (43.7 percent compared with 33.4 percent).

The highest proportion is among those aged 36 to 55, at 42.9 percent. Among those aged 18 to 35, the figure is 35.7 percent. Among people aged 56 and over, it is 35.2 percent.

“Women and people in middle age often bear the main responsibility for their family’s health. They organize care for their children and their ageing parents. In everyday life, they experience where basic health insurance reaches its limits for example, in coordinating medical services ranging from primary care and hospital treatment to rehabilitation, home care services, including complementary medicine, and social support,” explains Schneuwly.

Every second adult wants more than basic health insurance coverage

Accordingly, every second adult has a strong interest in privately insuring certain benefits in addition to basic health insurance (48.2 percent). The proportion is highest among those aged 18 to 35 (53.6 percent). Among those aged 36 to 55, it is 45.9 percent, while among those aged 56 and over, it is 45.6 percent. Although interest is greatest among higher-income earners (56.1 percent), 44.6 percent of lower- income earners would also like to take out supplementary insurance.

“Young adults are accustomed to consuming services flexibly and according to their own needs and they transfer this expectation to medicine and health insurance. The fact that almost half of lower-income earners would also like supplementary insurance shows that the desire for privacy and free choice of doctor is not a matter of social class, but a universal need,” suggests Comparis health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly.

Free choice of doctor and dental treatment are particularly in demand

In 2026, the highest priority for supplementary coverage is the free choice of doctor and appointment scheduling for outpatient surgery (20.8 percent), followed by dental treatment (15.8 percent). International premium coverage, however, has lost considerable importance: the importance attached to worldwide treatment for elective procedures fell within one year from 17.8 percent to 12.8 percent.

Special supplementary insurance for children, by contrast, enjoys particularly broad support: almost three-quarters of respondents support taking out such coverage (72.2 percent). Interest in supplementary insurance that covers treatments and operations regardless of where they take place (whether in a hospital with an overnight stay or on an outpatient basis in a medical practice) is almost evenly divided: 43.0 percent of respondents express strong interest, while 44.5 percent express little interest.

Two-thirds consider high premiums to be the greatest obstacle

There is a clear gap between the desire for supplementary benefits and actual access to them: high premiums are by far the most frequently cited obstacle to purchasing supplementary insurance. Two- thirds of respondents identified this as the greatest barrier an increase compared with the previous year (62.1 percent). In French-speaking Switzerland, the proportion is higher at 71.9 percent than in German- speaking Switzerland, where it stands at 64.7 percent.

“The population is caught in a dilemma: basic health insurance already consumes a growing share of household budgets, yet from the perspective of many insured persons, it still does not meet all needs for comfort, freedom of choice and security. Those with lower incomes feel this gap particularly strongly: the desire for better protection exists, but supplementary coverage is often unaffordable,” says Comparis health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly.

Overall, only 17.3 percent of adults plan to take out or expand their supplementary insurance coverage within the next 12 months. Among lower-income earners with a household income of up to CHF 4,000, the proportion is significantly lower at just 12.9 percent, compared with 20.8 percent among those with household incomes above CHF 8,000. In the income group earning up to CHF 4,000, 26.7 percent have no supplementary insurance at all (compared with 9.3 percent in the highest income group).

Tips for consumers

Separate basic and supplementary insurance strategically:

Basic health insurance can legally be taken out with the cheapest provider, while supplementary insurance can remain with a different insurer offering the best price-performance ratio.

Complete the health declaration truthfully:

Unlike basic health insurance, supplementary insurers are not obliged to accept every applicant. Therefore, all pre-existing medical conditions must be declared honestly to avoid losing insurance coverage in the event of a claim due to a breach of the duty of disclosure.

Take out supplementary insurance early and be aware of age limits:

To minimize the risk of being rejected because of health status and to benefit from significantly lower entry premiums, supplementary insurance should ideally be taken out at a young age.

Observe cancellation deadlines:

Because supplementary insurance policies often have a three-month notice period ending at the end of September and may involve multi-year contract terms, your existing supplementary insurance should only be cancelled after you have received the new insurer’s written, unconditional confirmation of acceptance.

Methodology

The representative survey was conducted by the market research institute Innofact on behalf of comparis.ch in May 2026 among 1,033 adults from all regions of Switzerland. Representativeness means that the participants in a survey accurately reflect the overall target population. In other words, important characteristics such as age, gender and region of residence are distributed similarly to those of the population as a whole. This makes it possible to generalize the results more reliably to the entire population.

Contact:
Felix Schneuwly
Health Insurance Expert
Phone: +41 79 600 19 12
Email: media@comparis.ch
comparis.ch