Zurich, 16 July 2026 – Unease with the coverage of basic insurance is widespread: 38.5 percent of the adult population in Switzerland perceive gaps in the mandatory health insurance. Accordingly, 48.2 percent of adults in Switzerland show great interest in additional insurance protection against illness or accident. But the hurdles for supplementary insurance are high. High premiums for supplementary insurance are mentioned as obstacles to contract conclusion much more frequently than still in 2025. This is shown by the second representative Comparis analysis of the supplementary insurance market.
Particularly women and middle-aged people perceive gaps
38.5 percent of respondents believe there are some or many gaps in the insurance coverage of basic insurance. Thus, more than a third of respondents see deficiencies in the coverage. Women perceive gaps significantly more often than men (43.7 percent compared to 33.4 percent). The highest value is also among those aged 36 to 55, with 42.9 percent. For those aged 18 to 35, the proportion is 35.7 percent. For those over 56, it is 35.2 percent.
'Women and middle-aged individuals often bear the main responsibility for the health of the family. They organize care for their children and their aging parents. They notice in everyday life where basic insurance reaches its limits – for example, in the coordination of medical services from general practitioners to hospital, rehabilitation, and home care services, including complementary medicine, to social support,' explains Schneuwly.
Every second adult wants more than basic insurance coverage
Every second adult shows a great interest in insuring certain services in addition to basic insurance (48.2 percent). The proportion is highest among those aged 18 to 35, with 53.6 percent. The figure is 45.9 percent among those aged 36 to 55 and 45.6 percent for those aged 56 and over. The interest is highest among high earners, at 56.1 percent. However, 44.6 percent of low earners would also like to take out supplementary insurance.
'Young adults are accustomed to consuming services flexibly and according to their own needs - they apply this to medicine and health insurance as well. Additionally, the fact that almost half of low earners would like to have supplementary insurance shows that the desire for privacy and free choice of doctor is not a question of social class but a universal need,' presumes Comparis health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly.
Free choice of doctor and dental treatments particularly sought after
The highest priority for supplementary coverage in 2026 is free choice of doctor and appointment for outpatient surgeries (20.8 percent), followed by dental treatments (15.8 percent). International luxury coverage, however, has taken a noticeable hit: the importance of worldwide treatment for elective procedures fell from 17.8 percent to 12.8 percent within a year. Special supplementary insurance for children, on the other hand, finds particularly broad approval: almost three-quarters of respondents support such a conclusion (72.2 percent). Interest in supplementary insurance that covers treatments and operations regardless of the location of treatment (in hospital with overnight stay or outpatient in a practice) is almost balanced: 43.0 percent show great interest, 44.5 percent show little interest.
Two-thirds perceive high premiums as the biggest obstacle
There is a noticeable gap between desire and reality regarding access to supplementary benefits: high premiums are by far the most frequently cited obstacle to taking out supplementary insurance. Two-thirds of respondents cited this point as the biggest impediment - a significant increase compared to the previous year (62.1 percent). In French-speaking Switzerland, the share is higher at 71.9 percent compared to 64.7 percent in German-speaking Switzerland.
'The population is in a dilemma: basic insurance already takes up an increasing portion of the household budget, yet from many policyholders' perspectives, it still does not meet all needs for comfort, freedom of choice, and security. Those who earn little feel this gap particularly strongly: the desire for better security is there, but additional protection often fails because of the wallet,' says Comparis health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly.
Overall, only 17.3 percent of adults plan to take out or expand existing supplementary insurance coverage in the next 12 months. The share is significantly lower at only 12.9 percent among low earners with a household income of up to 4,000 francs than among incomes over 8,000 francs (20.8 percent). In the income class up to 4,000 francs, 26.7 percent have no supplementary coverage at all (compared to 9.3 percent in the highest income class).
Tips for consumers
Separate basic and supplementary insurance strategically:
The basic insurance can be taken out legally without any problems with the cheapest provider, while the supplementary insurance can remain with another fund offering the best price- performance ratio.
Fill in health declaration truthfully:
Since supplementary insurers, unlike basic insurance, do not have an acceptance obligation, all pre-existing conditions must be stated honestly to avoid the risk of losing insurance coverage due to a breach of the duty of disclosure in the event of a claim.
Take out early and observe age guillotine:
To minimize the risk of rejection due to health status and benefit from significantly lower entry premiums, supplementary insurance should ideally be taken out at a young age.
Strictly adhere to notice periods:
Due to the often three-month notice period by the end of September and multi-year contract terms, the existing supplementary insurance should only be canceled after receiving the written, unconditional confirmation of acceptance from the new provider.
Methodology The representative survey was conducted by the market research institute Innofact on behalf of comparis.ch in May 2026 with 1,033 adults in all regions of Switzerland. Representativeness means that survey participants reflect the entire target group well. This means that important characteristics such as age, gender, or region of residence are similarly distributed as in the entire population. This allows the results to be better generalized.
Further information:
Felix Schneuwly
Health insurance expert
Phone: 079 600 19 12
Email: media@comparis.ch
comparis.ch