Health insurance rates will rise by 4.4 percent next year, which means an average increase of 16.60 francs per month. But the situation in your Swiss canton may be different.
In announcing the new rates on September 23rd, Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said that the average monthly premium will amount to 393.30 francs from January 1st, 2026.
“We all appreciate access to a quality healthcare system, but this leads to an increase in medical services and, subsequently, healthcare costs,” she pointed out. “These costs – doctor visits, lab tests, hospital stays, physiotherapy sessions, and medications – determine the premiums set by the insurance companies.”
However, depending on your canton of residence, you may end up paying a higher or a lower rate.
Where will the premiums exceed the national average?
With a hike of 6.9 percent over current premiums, residents of Ticino will be saddled with the highest increase – 582 francs a month.
Next is Valais (5.8 percent – 439 francs); Appenzell-Innerrhoden (5.5 percent- 322 francs); Uri (5.3 percent – 363 francs); Zurich (5.1 percent- 451 francs); and Graubünden (5 percent – 400 francs).
These are the highest increases, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
As for residents of Vaud, with a 4.3 – percent increase, they are just-just below the national average, but will have a rather hefty 527 francs in monthly premiums to pay.
However, rates in a number of cantons will actually be well below the average – even though the actual amount of premiums will be high.
In Geneva, for instance, the rates will go up by only 2.6 percent, but residents will still have to pay 586 francs in monthly premiums.
Basel-City will also see below-average premiums (2.9 percent – 521 francs).
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But the definite ‘winners’ are the residents of Zug – not only will their health insurance rates not increase, but they will actually drop…by 15 percent.
The reason is the canton’s enviably high financial surplus.
Zug’s Finance Director Heinz Tännler has 200 million francs that he can distribute to the canton’s citizens.
Therefore, the canton will cover 99 percent of hospital costs in 2026 and 2027.
In concrete terms, a Zug resident paying a 500-franc monthly premium in 2025 will pay 425 francs per month in 2026 and save 900 francs a year.
You can check out the rates in your place of residence on this official government site, or you can await the arrival of a letter from your insurance company informing you of new premiums. By law, these letters must arrive in your mailbox before October 31st, which leaves you one month (until November 30th) to change the provider, policy, or both.
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Why do Swiss healthcare premiums vary so much per canton?
The reason is that cantons have different health infrastructure and levels of government funding.
Demographics and statistics also play a role: health premiums in cantons with younger and healthier population will be lower than in those with higher incidence of disease, and older, chronically ill people.
But the mere fact of living in a particular canton doesn’t necessarily mean premiums will be the same for everyone: cantons can also be divided into zones with different premiums.
The government “divides larger cantons, within which costs vary widely, into two or three premium regions”, according to FOPH. “It also determines the maximum permissible differences in premiums between regions”.
For instance, communes in the cantons of Bern, Graubünden, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Zurich are assigned to three different premium regions. The cantons of Basel-Country, Fribourg, Schaffhausen, Ticino, Vaud, and Valais each have two premium regions.
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What if you really can’t afford to pay higher premiums?
Then you may be eligible for financial help from your canton.
You can read more about the requirements for healthcare subsidies here:
READ ALSO: How do I apply for health insurance benefits in Switzerland?
