Switching health insurer: the autumn checklist with sample letter

Step 1: Read your premium letter — what the autumn letter tells you

The FOPH published the 2027 premiums on 29 September 2026. By the end of October, your insurer will inform you of your new premium. Take this notice seriously: it shows in black and white what you will pay in the new year — and whether a comparison is particularly worthwhile.

Important if your premium rises: there is a special right of cancellation (Art. 7 para. 2 KVG). The cancellation must reach the insurer one month before the new premium takes effect — so for the usual increase as of 1 January, by 30 November. The autumn letters about supplementary insurance are also worth a close look: in the event of a premium increase, many AVB grant an extraordinary right of cancellation.

Step 2: Compare — but with identical key parameters

The benefits of basic insurance are identical by law at every insurer — with the same key parameters, it is therefore mainly the premium in the right model that makes the difference. To make sure the comparison is accurate, check four points:

• Same deductible: adults choose between CHF 300 and 2'500, children between CHF 0 and 600.
• Same model: standard (free choice of doctor), family doctor, HMO or telemedicine — cost-saving models give a discount on the premium but oblige you to follow the treatment pathway.
• Same accident cover: if you are employed for at least 8 hours a week, you are insured against accidents through your employer (UVG) and can exclude accident cover from basic insurance (OKP) — this lowers the premium.
• Review deductible and model at the same time: both can also be changed with your own insurer as of 1 January — report a lower deductible by the end of November; most insurers accept a higher one until the end of December.

Step 3: Apply first, then cancel

Switching basic insurance is risk-free: every insurer operating in your region must accept you without a health check (Art. 5 let. i KVAG), and your cover continues without interruption. Even so, the safe order applies: first apply to the new insurer, then cancel the old one.

Supplementary insurance is quite different: there, the insurer decides after a health check, and at most insurers the cancellation must arrive as early as 30 September. Only cancel existing supplementary insurance once you have the new insurer's written acceptance confirmation — and ideally submit the new application by mid-August, so that there is room for the acceptance confirmation and the 14-day revocation period before the deadline.

Step 4: Cancel — what counts is receipt, not the postmark

To switch as of 1 January, your cancellation must reach your current insurer by the end of November. Don't rely on the postmark: what counts is receipt. A registered letter that arrives on the last working day of November at the latest is recommended — plan in some buffer.

Two pitfalls: amounts you received a reminder for by 30 November prevent the switch if they are not paid, including debt collection costs, by 31 December (Art. 105l KVV). And if you miss the deadline, you stay with your current insurer until the next ordinary date; with the standard model and a CHF 300 deductible, a switch as of 1 July is at least also possible (three months' notice, receipt by the end of March).

Sample letter: cancelling basic insurance

The cancellation does not need any particular style — it just has to be unambiguous and arrive in time. A proven template:

“Registered mail — [Name of health insurer], [Insurer's address]. Subject: Cancellation of basic insurance as of 31 December 2026, insured person number [number]. Dear Sir or Madam, I hereby cancel my compulsory basic insurance (KVG) as of 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027 I will be insured with another health insurer. Please confirm receipt of this cancellation to me in writing. Yours faithfully, [First name Last name], [Street, postcode town], [Place, date, signature]”

If several family members are cancelling, list each insured person with their name and insured person number. If you sign up via easyall, you can skip the letter: the cancellation letter is created automatically together with your application.

Step 5: Check your new policy — and wrap up properly

Check your new policy as soon as it arrives: are the deductible, model, accident cover and the start on 1 January correct? Keep paying your old insurer's premiums until the end of the year — your old insurance only ends with a valid cancellation. If you then receive invoices from both insurers, clarify the reason at once: double insurance is excluded in basic insurance (BGE 130 V 448).

That's the season done. If you want to complete your autumn check, review your supplementary insurance at the same time: easyall compares cover before price.