Premiums for 2026

Premiums reflect healthcare costs: when healthcare costs rise, premiums also rise.

The demand for medical services covered by basic insurance continues unabated. Although spending on healthcare in Switzerland fell during the corona pandemic, it jumped dramatically again in subsequent years. This led to a number of years with above-average premium rises.

According to figures kept by CSS, medication accounted for the majority of these costs in 2024. Outpatient medical treatment (21%), inpatient (18.3%) and outpatient (13%) hospital services, and medication (22.9%) make up three-quarters of all spending.

The change in premiums becomes particularly noticeable on reaching a new tariff age group: as a result, the premium for young adults born in 2007 may be significantly higher. This is because the lower children’s premium now ceases to apply when they turn 19. The same applies to adults born in 2000, who now no longer qualify for the lower young adult premium.

CSS is working at a number of different levels to try and contain the premium burden for insured persons:

• It advocates on the political stage, offers health-related programmes and provides support to people in difficult health situations.
• Bill checking: Checking bills is one of the most efficient tools when it comes to reining in unjustified expenditure. CSS checked around 25 million bills last year, thus saving CHF 849 million.
• CSS has also been successful in tackling insurance fraud. It uncovered numerous cases of insurance fraud in 2024 and reclaimed CHF 38 million in benefits.
• In addition, CSS keeps its administration costs particularly low, at 3.7%. Thanks to efficient processes and responsible handling of the premiums collected, administration costs for basic insurance come to around four centimes in each franc of premium income. This places CSS significantly below the industry average of around 5%.