Our savings tips at a glance
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Use alternative basic insurance models.
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Change your deductible: higher deductible = lower premiums.
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Use discounts on top-up insurance, such as the family discount, health discount or no claims bonuses.
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Get Wellness Cheques worth up to CHF 350 per year.
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Take advantage of our partnerships to save on medicines and optical aids.
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Use our myPoints digital bonus programme and save money.
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Change your payment method and save money on your premiums.
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Apply for an individual premium reduction.
Save money on basic insurance
There are many ways of saving money on your basic insurance premiums. Compare our insurance models and choose a deductible that reflects your actual health costs.
The standard version of compulsory basic insurance gives you a free choice of doctor. If you opt for an insurance model without a free choice of doctor, for example, a general practitioner or telemedicine model, you can save money on your basic health insurance.
Compulsory health insurance generally places a particularly large financial burden on families. That’s why we like to keep premiums for children as low as possible and offer attractive children’s rates.
With us, you get a discount of at least 74% on basic insurance for your first and second child. We also give further reductions from the third child onwards.
Useful information: The discount on basic insurance mentioned above applies to compulsory basic insurance with free choice of doctor and the statutory deductible. This amount may vary slightly in alternative insurance models or for optional deductibles.
Furthermore, you will also get a 50% discount on your premium for your second and every additional child if you insure your children under the same family policy (e.g., Hospital, Outpatient, Complementary or Basic). This makes us one of the few health insurers in Switzerland to help families save money on their premiums in this way.
You can reduce your premium by increasing your deductible. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium.
You can change your deductible quickly and easily using the myVisana customer portal or the Visana app.
Do you work for the same employer for at least eight hours per week? If so, your employer automatically covers you for occupational and non-occupational accidents. You can then exclude accident cover from your compulsory basic health insurance and save money directly. If you have an accident, your employer’s accident insurance pays your treatment costs. Your basic insurance premium falls as a result.
People on low incomes who have few assets can apply for a premium reduction in their canton of residence. The amount of the premium reduction varies from canton to canton. You can get further information from the responsible office in your canton.
Change your payment method and save money on your health insurance premium. If you pay your premium annually instead of monthly, you will get a 2% discount. If you choose to pay your premium every six months, you will get a discount of 1%.
Save money on top-up insurance
Compared to other health insurers, Visana’s top-up insurance plans are far ahead. We are one of the best in Switzerland when it comes to value for money, as the independent financial advisory firm VermögensZentrum VZ consistently confirms in its annual survey.
Generous discounts on top-up insurance premiums
20% health discount
When you apply for Hospital general, Hospital semi-private and Hospital private top-up insurance, we also need a completed health questionnaire. If you pass this risk assessment, you will receive a discount of 20% on your premium. This discount automatically lapses after the first year of insurance and is replaced by a no claims bonus (also 20%), provided the conditions for doing so are met.
20% no claims bonus
If you do not claim benefits from your top-up insurance for a whole year, we will show our gratitude by giving you a discount of 20% on your premium for the following year.
This no claims bonus is available for the following top-up insurance plans:
- Hospital general
- Hospital semi-private
- Hospital private
- Basic package
The year for determining eligibility for a discount runs from 1 July to 30 June. If you do not claim any benefits during this period, you will automatically receive the discount the next calendar year.
50% discount from your second child
Good news for families! In addition to attractive premiums for top-up insurance, you get a 50% discount for your second child and every additional child in your family who is insured with Visana. All children under the age of 18 are considered when determining your eligibility for a discount. Families also benefit when they take out Outpatient, Complementary, Hospital and Basic top-up insurance, as well as dental insurance.
Save money with multi-year contracts
Unless otherwise agreed, Visana offers customer-friendly single-year contracts. However, you have the option of saving money on premiums by signing a multi-year contract.
- Three-year contract: 2% discount
- Five-year contract: 3% discount
3,000 myPoints as a bonus
By signing a multi-year contract, you will automatically collect points in our myPoints digital bonus programme.
Pay costs yourself and save on your premiums
Like our compulsory basic insurance, our top-up hospital insurance products give you the option of saving on your premium by paying some of your costs yourself. If you are hospitalised overnight, you contribute to the costs once a year. It works like this: you pay just one tenth of the out-of-pocket expenses per day. We pay the rest. After ten days at the latest, you will have made your contribution for the entire year – even if you have to be readmitted to hospital at a later time.
The table below shows you at a glance how your out-of-pocket expenses are made up and the discounts that are possible:
| Out-of-pocket expenses, free choice in CHF per year | Maximum out-of-pocket expenses per day in hospital in CHF | Discount with Hospital semi-private | Discount with Hospital private |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 100 | 15% | 10% |
| 2000 | 200 | 25% | 20% |
| 5000 | 500 | 50% | 40% |
| 10,000 | 1000 | 65% | 55% |
You can suspend your top-up insurance in the following cases:
- if you spend more than three months abroad per year and have moved your domicile there: or
- if you have to take out insurance elsewhere by virtue of your professional activity.
Your premium will be reduced by 90% while your insurance is suspended. You can subsequently reactivate your top-up insurance quickly and easily without having to complete a health declaration.
If you choose to pay your premium every six months, you will get a discount of 1%. This rises to 2% if you pay annually.
Further tips for saving on your health insurance
Benefit from other discounts and opportunities to save. Do you go to the gym regularly? Take advantage of our Wellness Cheques to save money on your membership. Do you wear glasses or contact lenses? Get exclusive discounts from our partners, Kochoptik and Optic 2000. You will also get a 10% discount on other insurance plans.
Visana customers and their family members enjoy a 10% discount on the premium for their household contents, personal liability and buildings insurance. You will get a further 10% discount on your premium if you take out all three with us. A 10% combo discount is available on car insurance if you have taken out basic or top-up insurance with Visana.
Visana offers Wellness Cheques as a contribution to your gym membership, exercise classes or sauna / steam bath admission fee. This saves you up to CHF 350 a year.
Medicines are a major cost factor in Swiss healthcare. It is well worth comparing medicine prices and asking your doctor’s surgery or pharmacist for a generic. By choosing a generic, you can save up to 70% on medicine costs.
Generics
Same quality for a better price. Generic or “copycat” medicines are substantially cheaper than original medicines because they involve much lower research expenditure. However, they are every bit as effective and safe as the originals.
Partner online pharmacy
Thanks to our partnership with the online pharmacy Zur Rose, you can have your medication delivered to your home free of charge – and save money in other ways too.
Do you need compression stockings, incontinence aids or a blood glucose meter? Your basic insurance covers either part or all of the costs of medical aids and devices for which the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has listed and specified a maximum reimbursable amount. You will need a medical prescription to qualify.
Visana customers can obtain discounts from the following suppliers:
| Insured treatment | Supplier/Visana partner |
|---|---|
| Suction, inhalation, respiratory therapy and oxygen equipment | HomeCare-Medical GmbH’s AtemCenter |
| Incontinence aids | |
| Wound dressings | PubliCare |
| Ostomy products |
We will gladly take the time to answer your questions.
Frequently asked questions about saving on premiums
There are many ways to save on premiums. You can choose an alternative basic insurance model, for instance, or adjust your deductible to suit your personal situation. You can also benefit from attractive discounts on top-up insurance – e.g. by getting insured as a family, by being in good health, or by not claiming any benefits.
You can secure up to CHF 350 per year in the form of Wellness Cheques. Thanks to our partnerships, you also get exclusive advantages when obtaining medication, glasses and contact lenses. If you pay your premiums annually or semi-annually, we give you a discount of up to 2%.
We also motivate you to exercise more: stay active and earn valuable points with our myPoints bonus programme, in which we reward you with up to CHF 120 per year. And last but not least, find out whether you are entitled to an individual premium reduction.
A deductible of CHF 2,500 is worthwhile for anyone who rarely or hardly ever uses medical services. Healthy young people who rarely visit a doctor (once or twice a year, or not at all, for example) and have no regular medication costs, save a lot of money on their monthly premium. The optimal deductible depends on your state of health and financial circumstances, among other things. As a rough guide, the lowest deductible of CHF 300 pays off if your annual healthcare costs are CHF 2,000 or more.
Article 65 of the Health Insurance Act entitles insured persons in modest financial circumstances to a premium reduction. The Canton pays these premium reductions directly to these individuals’ health insurance funds. This support is not automatically provided in all cantons. It is therefore worth finding out whether you are entitled to a reduction by checking directly with your local commune of residence in your canton of residence, so as to take advantage of this right.
It may be worth switching – for instance, if you want to save on premiums, or if your needs have changed, perhaps due to a move, a change of job or new health goals. It makes sense to compare, especially with regard to basic insurance: the benefits are the same across all health insurance funds, but premiums can vary. Looking at the range of available top-up insurance is also worthwhile: What suits your lifestyle? What do you really need?
We will gladly advise you in person and help you to find the best solution.
Yes, in addition to attractive premiums for top-up insurance, we grant a 50% discount for the second child and every additional child insured with Visana in your family. All children under 18 are taken into account when the discount is calculated. They benefit when it comes to Outpatient, Complementary, Hospital and Basic top-up insurance, as well as dental insurance.
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