# Changing your health insurance model: cost-saving or standard? > Switching health insurance model: duties in the family doctor, HMO and telemedicine models, risk of reduced benefits and all deadlines — with a sample text. Source: https://easyall.ch/en/ratgeber/krankenkassenmodell-wechseln Updated: 2026-11-11 Family doctor, HMO and telemedicine (Telmed) models give you a discount on your basic insurance premium — in return, you commit to a fixed treatment pathway. If you bypass this pathway, you risk a reduction in benefits; if you want to return to the standard model, you have to meet the right deadline. This guide shows the obligations of the cost-saving models and explains how and when to change your model — with your own insurer or combined with a switch of insurer. ## What changing model changes — and what it doesn't The benefits of basic insurance are set by law and are identical at every insurer in every model. Changing model therefore never changes what is insured — only the route to treatment: in the standard model you choose your doctor freely; in the [cost-saving models](https://easyall.ch/en/ratgeber/hausarzt-hmo-telmed) your first point of contact is set, and in return the premium falls. Apart from the model, your place of residence ([premium region](https://easyall.ch/en/ratgeber/praemienregionen-schweiz)), age, deductible and [accident cover](https://easyall.ch/en/ratgeber/unfalldeckung-krankenkasse) determine the amount of the premium. Together with the deductible, changing model is therefore a lever you can use to save money without giving up insured benefits. ## Your obligations in a cost-saving model The discount is tied to a clear obligation: for health concerns, you first contact the agreed point of contact, who refers you to specialists when needed. In practice this means: - Family doctor model: always see the family doctor you chose from the insurer's list of doctors first — check before switching whether your doctor is on the list. - HMO model: the group practice is your first point of contact — a practice within easy reach is a prerequisite. - Telemedicine model: before seeing a doctor, you first contact the insurer's telephone or digital advice service — the model is not tied to a location. - In all cost-saving models: the details — such as which specialties you may see directly — are set out in the insurer's regulations. Read them before you sign up. ## Reduction in benefits: the risk if you bypass the pathway If you bypass the prescribed treatment pathway — for example by going directly to a specialist — you risk the insurer reducing reimbursement or refusing it altogether. In the case of repeated breaches, it can also order a switch to the standard model — and the premium discount is then lost. Emergencies are exempt, as are usually gynaecology and eye doctors; exactly what applies is governed by the regulations of the insurer concerned. If you are unsure whether a visit must go through your point of contact, ask briefly beforehand — that costs less than reduced reimbursement. ## Changing model with your own insurer: the deadlines You change your model with your own insurer; no cancellation is needed for this, a notification is enough. When you can switch depends on the direction: from the standard model you can move to a cost-saving model at any time (Art. 100 para. 2 KVV). A switch to a model with fewer restrictions (for example back to the standard model) or to another cost-saving model only applies from 1 January and must be reported to the insurer by the end of November (Art. 100 para. 3 KVV). An often overlooked side effect: the additional option to cancel as of 1 July (with three months' notice, receipt by the end of March) is only open to insured persons with the standard model and the ordinary deductible of CHF 300. By switching to a cost-saving model, you give up this mid-year exit — you then switch in the ordinary way as of 1 January. ## Sample text: notifying your insurer of a change of model A short letter is enough for the notification. Sending it by registered mail is recommended, because for deadlines what counts is receipt by the insurer — not the postmark. A sample text: “[First name Last name], [Street, postcode town] — to: [Name of health insurer], [Address]. Subject: Change of model in basic insurance as of 1 January [year], insured person number [number]. Dear Sir or Madam, I hereby change my insurance model in basic insurance as of 1 January [year] from [current model] to [new model]. My deductible and accident cover remain unchanged. Please confirm the change to me in writing. Yours faithfully, [Place, date, signature]” If you switch to a family doctor or HMO model, include your chosen family doctor or the group practice you want in the notification — in the family doctor model you choose from the insurer's list of doctors. If you also want to change your deductible at the same time, the same deadlines apply: a lower deductible by the end of November, a higher one by the end of December at most insurers. ## Or switch insurer straight away? Since the benefits are identical everywhere, it is worth looking beyond your own insurer when choosing a model: the same cost-saving model can be considerably cheaper at another insurer. To [switch insurer](https://easyall.ch/en/ratgeber/krankenkasse-wechseln) as of 1 January, your cancellation must reach your current insurer by the end of November (recommended: by registered mail). The new insurer must accept you without a health check, and your cover continues without interruption — amounts you received a reminder for by 30 November must, however, be paid, including debt collection costs, by 31 December (Art. 105l KVV). If your insurer raises its premium, the [special right of cancellation](https://easyall.ch/en/ratgeber/sonderkuendigungsrecht-praemienerhoehung) also applies (Art. 7 para. 2 KVG): the cancellation must arrive one month before the new premium takes effect — so for the usual increase as of 1 January, by 30 November. The 2027 premiums have been published since 29 September 2026. In the [easyall calculator](https://easyall.ch/en/calculator) you choose the model for each person and immediately see the official premiums at your place of residence; when you apply, the [cancellation letter](https://easyall.ch/en/ratgeber/kuendigung-krankenkasse-musterbrief) is created automatically. ## FAQ ### Do I lose benefits if I switch to a cost-saving model? No. The benefits of basic insurance are set by law and identical in every model at every insurer. You merely accept a fixed treatment pathway — in return you receive a discount on the premium. ### Can I go back from a cost-saving model to the standard model during the year? Not in the ordinary way: deductible and model are changed as of 1 January each year. You report a switch to a model with fewer restrictions — for example back to the standard model — to your insurer by the end of November. ### What happens if I go directly to a specialist in a cost-saving model? The insurer can reduce or refuse reimbursement; in the case of repeated breaches, it can order a switch to the standard model. Emergencies are exempt, as are usually gynaecology and eye doctors — your insurer's regulations are decisive. ### Do I have to cancel to change my health insurance model? No, with your own insurer a notification is enough: for a cost-saving model from the standard model at any time (Art. 100 para. 2 KVV), for a model with fewer restrictions by the end of November for 1 January. You only need to cancel if you also switch insurer at the same time (receipt by the end of November). ## Sources - [Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG), SR 832.10 – official text in German](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1995/1328_1328_1328/de) – Fedlex, Classified Compilation of Federal Legislation - [Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV), SR 832.102 – official text in German](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1995/3867_3867_3867/de) – Fedlex, Classified Compilation of Federal Legislation - [Priminfo: premium calculator 2027 (in German)](https://www.priminfo.admin.ch/de/praemien) – Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)