Inpatient supplementary insurance (hospital care)

First of all, let’s touch wood. A stay at the hospital is never a good time. Although, it is not always a negative experience. For example: giving birth! 

In this case, as well as in other cases, it is always nicer to be able to choose the conditions of one’s stay: hospital, room, doctor. 

Yet, the basic insurance covers the costs for being treated at a public hospital and in a shared room (4 to 6 beds). Supplementary insurances offer several care options. 

The shared room option throughout Switzerland 

The mandatory health insurance offers you access without any additional costs to the hospital of your canton of residence. In certain cases, a surgery at another hospital can incur significant additional costs. With supplementary insurance, your insurer will cover these costs in full. 

Be careful: this supplementary insurance excludes any kind of refund in case of a stay at a clinic or a private hospital.  

In case of an emergency, of course, this does not apply, you may go to the nearest hospital as soon as possible without any financial loss. 

In case of a planned intervention, this supplementary insurance does not offer any advantages in terms of speed of care compared to what the basic insurance offers. You will thus have to wait several weeks before getting operated. 

Finally, the cost of this supplementary insurance is quite attractive. Indeed, though it is determined based on your age, it should not set you back more than a couple of dozens per month. 

The semi-private option

Opt for more comfort and intimacy with the semi-private option. Though you will not get a single room, you will share it with a maximum of one other person. You can also choose your doctor in the whole country and at any public hospital as well as private practices and clinics.

With the semi-private option, the waiting period for your planned surgery can be divided by two before being treated by the doctor of your choice. 

However, it is important to pay attention to the price of this supplementary insurance, which can have a considerable impact on the amount of your monthly premiums. 

You should thus make sure to determine precisely your needs and budget before taking out such an insurance. 

The private option

Even more comfort and privacy with the private option, which exclusively offers single rooms. All the requirements are met to insure you the quickest recovery from your stay. 

The costs of such an option are rather high, but it is a good option if: 

• You have sufficient financial resources. 
• You have to undergo a heavy procedure which includes a long stay at the hospital. 

This insurance guarantees you the best health treatment possible. 

• The wait time to be treated are reduced from one months to just a few days. 
• The treatment and post-surgery care are not time-limited. 
• You can get several medical opinions before deciding to get surgery. 
• Transportation costs to the clinic are also covered (the same goes for when you go back home). 
• Even the costs related to your family’s care (housekeeping, children, etc…) are fully covered. 

The flex model

Subject to financial compensation, you can choose what option you want up until you are admitted at the hospital. Otherwise, by default, you will get the shared room option. 

While this option allows you to make considerable savings on your premiums, the financial compensations are usually expensive when staying at a semi-private or private hospital.

Before taking out any kind of supplementary insurance, I strongly advise you to carefully examine the health system, starting with the basic insurance: What is it for? and especially, how much does it cost? Then, by taking interest in the other supplementary insurances that exist: outpatient insurance and capital insurances. 

The health insurance industry is vast and complex. Should you have any more questions after reading all this, please do not hesitate to ask them!