SwissCommunity “What are the rules regarding health insurance when returning to Switzerland?” Question: I have spent several years abroad and now plan to return to Switzerland. What do I need to do regarding health insurance? Holiday camps – the best time of the year Parents and fans of summer, take note: in 2024 the Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA) will again hold summer holiday camps as well as ski and snowboarding camps for Swiss Abroad aged 8-14. To keep pace with the rising popularity of these camps, we are now offering three new Swiss Trips plus three skiing and snowboarding holidays. On our Swiss Trips, around 30 children will visit various locations. We will travel around Switzerland with our hiking boots and tents. Our residential holiday camps have space for 35 to 50 people and this year they are taking place in regions rich in adventure in the cantons of Berne, Grisons, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Valais. 22 June to 5 July 2024: Flüeli (LU), residential holiday camp for 10 to 14 year olds 26 June to 5 July 2024: Swiss Trip for 12 to 14 year olds 6 to 19 July 2024: Kippel (VS), residential holiday camp for 12 to 14 yea olds 10 to 19 July 2024: Adelboden (BE), residential holiday camp for 8 to 11 year olds 10 to 19 July 2024: Swiss Trip for 12 to 14 year olds 20 July to 2 August 2024: Pizol (GR), residential holiday camp for 8 to 11 year olds 20 July to 2 August 2024: Evolène (VS), residential holiday camp for 12 to 14 year olds 3 to 16 August 2024: Bad Ragaz (SG), residential holiday camp for 12 to 14 year olds 7 to 16 August 2024: Swiss Trip for 12 to 14 year olds 27 December 2024 to 5 January 2025: Valbella (GR), skiing and snowboarding trip for 8 to 11 year olds 27 December 2024 to 5 January 2025: Surprise, skiing and snowboarding trip for 12 to 14 year olds 2 to 8 January 2025: Lenk (BE), skiing and snowboarding trip for children born in 2010 or 2011 The full holiday camp 2024 schedule is available on our website sjas.ch/en/. Participants can also register via our website. Please send any questions or feedback to info@sjas.ch. We hope to see you soon! ISABELLE STEBLER AND DAVID REICHMUTH, FYSA Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA) Email: info@sjas.ch / www.sjas.ch Answer: Health insurance is mandatory for all persons living in Switzerland. That means you have to take out compulsory cover as soon as you register in Switzerland and are resident there. Everyone is entitled to this basic insurance and the benefits are defined by law. That means health insurers may not deny compulsory cover to Swiss Abroad returning to Switzerland – irrespective of age or health. If you would like more extensive cover than what is offered under the compulsory insurance, you can take out supplementary insurance. However, that is a private insurance matter, and the health insurers are allowed to refuse cover for a certain person or to apply caveats in order to exclude certain benefits. The Federal Office of Public Health publishes a list of approved health insurers in its capacity as a supervisory authority. You can select whichever insurer you like from this list. Each family member must have their own health insurance. All insured persons pay a premium, which may differ among the insurers. It is thus advisable to compare premiums on www.priminfo.ch. When returning to Switzerland, you must take out health insurance within three months of registering. Your cover will then be backdated to the date you became resident in Switzerland. We would also point out that a premium supplement is charged when, without adequate justification, the insurance is taken out after this three-month period has expired. STEPHANIE LEBER, OSA LEGAL DEPARTMENT Do you have any other questions about health insurance? You can find additional useful information on the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) website: revue.link/foph Doctors’ and hospital fees are high in Switzerland. That’s why you need health insurance, including for emigrants returning to Switzerland. Photo: Keystone 29 Swiss Review / January 2024 / No.1
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