Changing age group at a glance
Your health insurance becomes more expensive after your 18th and 25th birthdays. Because these are the ages when you move to a new age group, you pay a higher premium. The change, which is prescribed by law, is called an age group change. With appropriate insurance and the right deductible, you can take steps to ensure the increase in premium remains manageable.
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Basic health insurance in Switzerland recognises three age groups: children (0–18 years of age), young adults (19–25 years of age) and adults (26 years of age and older). On 1 January following your 18th or 25th birthday, you automatically move to the next age group. Changing age group leads to higher basic insurance premiums.
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Your age also affects your top-up insurance. You will generally move to a new age group – with your premium adjusted correspondingly – every five years.
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There are various ways of ensuring the increase in premium remains manageable, such as choosing the right deductible and insurance model or applying for a premium reduction, for example, while you are training or studying or when you start work.
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When you turn 18, you decide whether you would prefer to have your own policy with your own access to myVisana or remain covered by your family’s insurance.
Health insurance age groups explained in simple terms
Age groups determine how much your insurance premium is. As you get older, you change to different groups, and this affects how much you pay in premiums. We explain when and how you change age groups in basic and top-up insurance.
Basic insurance (HIA/KVG) age groups
To ease the financial burden on families, the Health Insurance Act stipulates that premiums for children are lower than those for young people and adults. This means that insurers can set a premium discount for children.
Find out here how much the discounts are and what insurance protection is worthwhile for families.
Your age group change at age 18 takes effect on 1 January of the year in which you reach the corresponding age to change group. Example: You celebrate your 18th birthday on 22 August. You become part of the “young adults” age group from 1 January of the following year and therefore pay a higher premium.
Your health insurance premium becomes more expensive from this date. By choosing the most suitable insurance model and the right deductible, you can ensure the hike in premiums when you switch to the young adults age group remains manageable.
You can find out more on the “Save on your health insurance” age.
A few other things change too when you turn 18.
- You become responsible for your own compulsory health insurance. You can decide whether you would prefer to have your own policy with your own access to myVisana or remain covered by your family’s insurance. If you would like to remain covered under your parents’ insurance, you will have to give your parents an authorisation form.
- Military service, your first salary or moving out of your parents’ house are also changes that affect your insurance. You can find out what you need to be aware of on the “Insurance for young adults“ page and in our “Insurance questions you might have at 18“ brochure.
The price of your health insurance goes up again after your 25th birthday. When you reach the year in which you turn 26, you are an adult for the purposes of the Health Insurance Act and pay a full health insurance premium.
Again, you change age group on 1 January of the year in which you celebrate your 26th birthday. Example: You celebrate your 26th birthday on 19 April 2026. You are part of the third age group from 1 January 2026 and pay the adult premium.
This makes choosing the right insurance model, for example a general practitioner or telemedicine model, and an appropriate deductible even more important. You can also check whether you are eligible for a premium reduction. You can find out how to make your health insurance premium as cost-effective as possible on the “Save on your health insurance” page.
Once again, fresh questions will arise in this new phase of your life, particularly as regards pensions or family planning. We will be happy to provide useful information to assist you.
Age groups in top-up insurance (IPA/VVG)
The age of the insured person is also a crucial factor in determining premiums for top-up health insurance under the Insurance Policies Act (IPA/VVG). The tariff for most top-up insurance plans is based on the actual age of the insured person. Premiums are graduated by five-year increments and based on the expected healthcare costs.
Different age groups only exist at the lower and upper ends of the age range. At Visana and many other providers of top-up insurance, these are generally as follows:
- The age groups for children (0–18) and young adults (19–25) are mostly the same as in compulsory basic insurance.
- With the exception of Hospital Flex Plus, the last age-related premium increase is at age 71.
However, age groups are not standardised and can vary from insurance product to insurance product.
Visana has the following age groups for top-up health insurance (IPA/VVG)
- 00–18 years
- 19–25 years
- 26–30 years
- 31–35 years
- 36–40 years
- 41–45 years
- 46–50 years
- 51–55 years
- 56–60 years
- 61–65 years
- 66–70 years
- 71 and over
Your age group change takes effect on 1 January of the year in which you reach the corresponding age to change group. Example: On 1 January of the year in which you turn 26. If your premium is due to go up, you can review your insurance and adapt it to your needs or switch. You will find out exactly how much your premium will be no later than the end of October of the preceding year.
Do you have any questions about changing age group or would you like to modify your insurance? Our advisors are here for you.
Useful services for you
Smart insurance for all-round care. These services provide everyday assistance:
With the right insurance model, appropriate top-up insurance and attractive discounts, you save on your premiums – without compromising on benefits.
Frequently asked questions about changing age group
Yes. Premiums for compulsory basic insurance increase as you change health insurance age group.
After your 18th birthday, you move from the ‘Children’ category to the ‘Young adults’ age group; then, when you turn 25, from the ‘Young adults’ category to the ‘Adults’ age group. Under the Health Insurance Act (HIA/KVG), families with children under the age of 18 are eligible for financial relief. This means health insurers can offer discounts for children and young people. You cease to be eligible for these discounts as soon as you turn 18. Health insurance funds such as Visana can only tell you the exact amount by which your premium will increase in October of the current year, once the premiums for the following year have been set.
You can make the increase in premiums that occurs when you turn 18 and 25 more manageable by modifying your deductible or switching to a cheaper insurance model. You can find more about these options, along with other money-saving tips, on the Save on your health insurance page.
Your health insurance premium rises when you turn 25 because you change to a different health insurance age group. In the year in which you turn 26, you move from the ‘Young adults’ age category, where you still get a discount on your premium, to the ‘Adults’ age group. As a result of this change, you have to pay the adult premium with no discount from 1 January of the year following your 25th birthday. Under the Health Insurance Act (HIA/KVG), this is a uniform nationwide requirement for compulsory basic insurance that applies to all health insurance funds.
With the correct deductible and a suitable insurance model, you can reduce some of the impact of the rise in your premiums. You can find out more on the Save on your health insurance page.
The age categories are a way of balancing the difference in risk between older and younger people. Since younger people create fewer costs for the Swiss healthcare system, they pay less for their health insurance until the year in which they turn 26.
Premiums change as you get older because of the age groups prescribed in the Health Insurance Act (HIA/KVG). These groups are intended to balance out the variation in health costs. On average, younger people create fewer costs for the healthcare system, while older people create more. This is why children and young adults pay less, but adults have to pay the full premium with no discount.
Specifically, there are three age groups for compulsory health insurance:
- Children under 18 (significant discount on premiums)
- Young adults aged 19 to 25 (discount on premiums)
- Adults 26 and over (no discount)
When you move up to the next age group, your premium automatically increases from 1 January of the year following your birthday. The same arrangement applies to all health insurance funds in Switzerland.
You can reduce the impact of the rise in premiums that occurs when you change age group by adjusting your deductible or switching to a cheaper insurance model. You can find all our tips for saving money on the Save on your health insurance page.
All health insurance funds have three age groups for compulsory basic insurance. These are the same throughout Switzerland.
- Children: Until their 18th birthday
- Young adults: From their 19th to 25th birthday
- Adults: From their 26th birthday
The purpose of the age groups is to divide health costs fairly between the different generations. Children and young adults get a discount on their premium because, on average, they need fewer medical services. As of the year in which they turn 26, insured persons pay the adult premium with no discount. They automatically move to the next age group on 1 January of the year following their birthday.
It is worth reviewing your deductible and insurance model when you turn 18 and 25 because the increase in premium when you change age groups is substantial. That way, you can reduce some of the impact of the higher cost.
Yes, top-up health insurance under the Insurance Policies Act (IPA/VVG) also has age groups. However, these are not fixed by law and can vary considerably between insurers. The following applies both at Visana and in most cases:
- With a few exceptions (children, young adults and older people), each age group comprises five years.
- Generally, the age groups for top-up insurance are as follows: 00–18 / 19–25 / 26–30 / 31–35 / 36–40 / 41–45 / 46–50 / 51–55 / 56–60 / 61–65 / 66–70 / 71 and over
- Your premium may increase when you move to a new age group.
- This is because of the statistically higher health costs associated with increasing age.
This means that even after you turn 26, your top-up insurance premiums may change multiple times on age grounds.
The main decision you have to make is whether to take out your own policy or remain in your family’s policy when you turn 18 and move to the ‘Young adults’ age group (19–25).
We generally recommend taking out your own policy. In addition to receiving your own customer file, having your own policy teaches you how to navigate health insurance matters and lets you manage your data yourself using your own myVisana customer portal account. If you would like to remain covered under your parents’ insurance, we need an authorisation form for your parents.
Regardless of which age group you are changing to, we recommend reviewing your deductible and basic insurance model each time you change group. That way, you can reduce the impact of more expensive health insurance premiums. You can find more information on the Save on your health insurance page.
For compulsory basic insurance (CHI/OKP), your age group is determined by your age on 1 January of the year of insurance. In other words:
- Your age group is determined on 1 January each year.
- On the basis of the age you will reach during the calendar year. Example: If you turn 26 on 15 June, you will already be classed as an adult from 1 January of the same year. When premiums are announced each October, you will be told before 1 January what your premium will be in your new age group.
- You always move to the next age group at the start of the year, not on your birthday.
- In other words, you move to your new age group for basic insurance on 1 January of the year following your 25th birthday.
The same rules apply to top-up health insurance (IPA/VVG).
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