A new survey by Comparis has found that around a quarter of residents in Switzerland - more than 2 million people - have switched their basic health insurance provider in 2022. The comparison site blamed the expected 6,6 percent rise in health insurance costs for the trend.

Quarter of people in Switzerland switched health insurance in 2022

Comparis noted that amid significant rises in the cost of health insurance - blamed on rising prices in Swiss healthcare - the number of people choosing to switch insurers has increased dramatically. According to their 2022 survey, around 25 percent of people in Switzerland decided to switch insurance providers in the last 12 months.

People in French-speaking areas were more inclined to change insurers, with 31 percent of residents reporting that they had changed their provider to get a cheaper deal. This fell to 25 percent east of the Röstigraben and 18 percent in Canton Ticino. Young people were the most likely to make the switch, with 41 percent of people under 36 years old changing insurers in 2022. Men (32 percent) were more likely to change providers than women (21 percent).

Number of switchers nearly double what was predicted

“The more the premiums rise, the more people switch health insurance companies,” Comparis health insurance expert Felix Schneuwly explained. However, he said that the number of people switching was nearly double what he and other experts expected, even with the knowledge that the government was set to raise average prices by 6,6 percent in 2023.

Unlike previous years, Comparis noted that smaller providers were the primary beneficiaries of the influx of switchers. KPT, a smaller provider, told 20 Minuten that it would have around 40 percent more customers in 2023. “Small insurers in particular have gained many new customers with moderate premium increases. That's a surprise,” Schneuwly concluded.