50+ | Visana Insurance

Our top recommendations for the over-50s

For many people, turning 50 marks the start of a new chapter in life. The children start to leave the nest, planning for retirement becomes a more pressing consideration and looking after your health becomes more important. As such, your needs in relation to retirement planning and insurance also change as you grow older. We can show you what to look out for.

A dream come true? Renovating your home? Inherited some assets? Review regularly the benefits under your travel, buildings, household contents, personal liability and legal protection insurance.
With top-up insurance, you can cover yourself for medical emergencies and benefit from prevention services.
How do you imagine your retirement? Start thinking about this question early and focus your retirement planning on it accordingly.
Check your pension situation and close any gaps in your occupational and private pensions (pillar 3a or 3b).

Our insurance solutions for the over-50s

Benefit from insurance solutions tailored to your needs:

Well looked after – both now and at an advanced age

As we build up more experience in life and start to feel the reality of the ageing process, what we expect from our health insurance benefits can also change. With the right top-up insurance, you can benefit from additional cover as well as greater comfort and privacy in hospital.

Good to know: At V⁠i⁠s⁠a⁠n⁠a, you can take out top-up insurance up until the age of 70.

Compulsory health insurance provides you with sound basic medical care that is reliable and comprehensive.

Visits to physicians and medical treatment
Medications according to the catalogue of benefits
Hospital stays in a general ward
Emergency care in Switzerland and abroad
Check-ups

Upgrade your basic insurance with additional outpatient cover – to ensure more flexibility and personal care.

Optical aids up to CHF 250 per year and hearing aids (partially reimbursed)
Check-ups up to CHF 600 and preventive measures (Wellness Cheques) up to CHF 350 per year
Transport and rescue cover
Enhanced cover for psychotherapy

Enjoy greater privacy and personalised care in hospital – with a free choice of physician and ward.

Treatment in a semi-private or private ward
Free choice of hospital and treating physician
Comfort room (single or double room)
Direct access to specialists
Better recovery conditions

Financially secure

Once you pass 50, retirement starts to edge closer year by year. This means retirement planning becomes an increasing priority. Review your pension situation, think about the standard of living you would like to have in retirement and close any pension gaps. It’s reassuring to know you’re financially well prepared and covered for later life or unexpected situations.

Good to know: You no longer need daily allowance insurance after you retire.

Protects you against financial difficulties in the event of prolonged illness or following an accident.

Income replacement during prolonged illness
Peace of mind for the self-employed
Financial security until recovery
Supplement to state loss of earnings insurance

You’ll be financially secure in the event of invalidity, and your loved ones will be well provided for in the event of your death.

Guaranteed lump-sum payment at the end of the contract
Cover in the event of death or disability

With a Pillar 3a pension account, you save taxes while building your financial future – flexibly, securely and with attractive interest rates.

Planning for retirement
Pillar 3a with an independent, secure partner company: Liberty Vorsorge AG and Berner Kantonalbank BEKB
Save tax and invest for a worry-free future.

Live securely and enjoy everyday life free of concerns

Your housing situation can also change after age 50. You may have inherited a property or renovated your home, or alternatively purchased new furniture, artwork or valuable equipment for your home.

It is worth regularly reviewing the insured sum under your household contents, personal liability and buildings insurance, and adjusting it if appropriate – especially if something has changed. This helps you avoid underinsurance.

Taking out legal protection insurance is also advisable in order to support you in the event of any disputes.

Protects your belongings against losses caused by fire, water, burglary or natural hazards.

Protection against damage to furniture, equipment and valuables
Cost coverage following burglary
Cover for glass breakage and water damage
Worldwide cover for luggage

Protects you against the financial consequences if you accidentally cause harm to a third party.

Cover for personal injury and damage to property
Protection in the event of damage caused by grandchildren or pets
Defence against unjustified claims
Cover for damage to rented property

Whether it’s an inheritance dispute, a disagreement with a neighbour or a contractual dispute, our legal protection is by your side.

Cost coverage for legal disputes
Advice on contract, employment or tenancy law
Support in inheritance disputes
Free legal advice over the phone

Whether it’s storm damage, water damage or vandalism, buildings insurance provides reliable protection for your property.

Cost coverage in the event of damage to buildings due to fire, water, storms or hail
Cover for natural hazards and weather-related damage
Optional cover for glass breakage, loss of rental income and building systems
Quick and straightforward settlement of claims

Stay mobile and travel the world with peace of mind

Whether you're exploring Europe in a campervan, travelling to distant lands or buying that dream car – in later life we often have more time to fulfil our long-held dreams.

Dreams need to be properly protected too. Our travel insurance provides comprehensive cover worldwide if something happens while you’re on the road. And our car insurance offers reliable protection in the event of breakdowns, parking damage or accidents.

This means you can enjoy your travels with peace of mind – with comprehensive protection in the event of illness, accident or breakdown while travelling.

Cover for the costs of treatment abroad
Organisation and cost coverage for repatriation
Travel interruption and cancellation costs
Worldwide assistance

Reliable protection against the financial consequences of accidents, breakdowns and other losses.

Comprehensive protection for your car
Simple online processing and claims reporting
Attractive discounts and fair premiums
Gross negligence included
Free choice of repair shop

Your advantages at a glance

With hospital top-up insurance, you get more freedom of choice, more comfort and more privacy.
We provide up to CHF 600 per year in cover for check-ups.
Protect yourself in the areas of health, home, car, travel and pension.
Manage contracts, invoices and benefits quickly and easily with the practical V⁠i⁠s⁠a⁠n⁠a app.
Receive up to CHF 350 per year towards a gym membership and courses, as well as up to CHF 120 from the myPoints bonus programme.
The right pension solutions enable you to enter retirement with peace of mind.

What our customers say

I’ve been with V⁠i⁠s⁠a⁠n⁠a since the Grütli days and have always been very satisfied with the customer service. The St. Gallen General Agency in particular was always very helpful. I was always able to drop in there if I had questions, which I very much appreciate.

I’ve been with V⁠i⁠s⁠a⁠n⁠a for years and am still very happy today. I appreciate having an agency nearby and the friendliness and helpfulness I always get shown there. My late husband, who sadly was ill for many years, also received obliging and professional service from V⁠i⁠s⁠a⁠n⁠a at all times.

Useful services for you

Smart insurance for all-round care. These services can assist you:

With myVisana, you can manage all your health insurance matters quickly and easily.

With the health app Well, you can check symptoms, chat with a doctor or book appointments.

Frequently asked questions about insurance for seniors

Yes, you can still change health insurance fund if you’re 50 or older. The rules in Switzerland are as follows:

Compulsory basic insurance
You can change basic insurance each year, regardless of your age or health status. All you have to do is give notice by the correct date. Generally, this means giving notice by 30 November to switch with effect from 1 January of the following year. Your new health insurance fund is obliged to accept you and cannot reject you.

Top-up insurance
Switching top-up insurance is less straightforward: your health insurance fund may demand a medical examination and can reject your application on the grounds of age or existing illnesses or conditions. That means switching is possible, but not guaranteed.

Switching your provider of compulsory basic insurance is generally straightforward because the benefits are prescribed by law and the same for all health insurance funds.

For top-up insurance, however, health insurance funds can demand a medical examination and reject applications or attach provisos. The likelihood of being rejected increases if you are older. If you give notice, you also face the risk of losing an old policy with beneficial terms that you will not be able to replicate at a later date.

Switching basic insurance is generally worthwhile if you want to save on your premiums. However, you should check carefully whether it is actually worth switching top-up insurance.

The answer to this question always depends to some extent on your personal needs, of course. As a general rule, however, health costs often rise significantly as you get older, and compulsory basic insurance does not cover everything. For this reason, many people appreciate the additional protection and comfort offered by a top-up insurance plan.

Hospital insurance (Flex/semi-private/private/general throughout Switzerland)

You decide for yourself which hospital in Switzerland you are treated in.
Semi-private and private cover gives you the comfort of a double or single room in hospital and a free choice of doctor.
Hospital Flex lets you decide flexibly in advance whether you want a general, semi-private or private ward whenever you need to be admitted to hospital.
Hospital insurance makes sense if you want more comfort and a greater say in your treatment when you are ill.

Outpatient top-up insurance

Covers costs that are not covered, or only partially covered, by basic insurance: glasses, contact lenses, non-reimbursable medication, alternative medicine, psychotherapy or health promotion, for example, in the form of a contribution to a gym membership.
This type of insurance is particularly worthwhile when you reach an age where your eyesight starts to deteriorate or if you feel complementary medicine has an important role to play in your care.

Travel insurance

Vacanza travel insurance lets you enjoy care-free travel worldwide. It provides the best possible protection if you fall ill or have an accident or breakdown while you are travelling.
Your travel insurance pays the cost of your treatment abroad and arranges your repatriation to Switzerland.
If you are unable to go on your trip, it will pay the cancellation costs.

Pension solutions/pillar 3a account

Once you turn 50, your thoughts turn to retirement planning, as well as finding the right insurance. A pillar 3a solution can help you enjoy your retirement without financial worries. At the age of 50, you still have around 15 years to pay the maximum amount into your third-pillar pension savings each year.

Your basic insurance will not change.
Basic insurance is mandatory for everyone in Switzerland, regardless of whether they’re employed or retired. You will retain this cover; in other words, you do not have to re-register or switch just because you retire. However, some cantons offer premium reductions for people on lower incomes. This could be relevant when you retire. You will find more information on premium reductions here.

Retired people’s premiums
Premiums often rise as you get older, particularly because many models include incremental increases by age group. When you retire, therefore, it is often worthwhile comparing premiums and possibly switching your basic insurance. Less expensive models, such as general practitioner and telemedicine models, can help to reduce costs.

You keep your top-up insurance, but be aware.
Your existing top-up insurance plans will continue unchanged. You do not need to do anything. However, you will continue to pay premiums, and in many cases, these will rise as you get older. You should think carefully before you terminate or switch your top-up insurance, because older people face more obstacles when taking out new top-up insurance. These include compulsory medical examinations, the possibility of rejection or the imposition of provisos, for example.