Patients
Deductible, retention fee, compulsory basic health insurance (LAMal): understand what you really pay for a consultation, with the amounts in force in 2026.
Simulator
CHF400
Annual cap: CHF 1,000 (deductible + CHF 700 retention fee)
With a CHF 300 deductible, CHF 1,300 of care costs you CHF 400: CHF 300 in deductible, then 10% of the CHF 1,000 remaining. The rest, CHF 900, is reimbursed.
Indicative simulation based on the rules of compulsory basic health insurance (LAMal) in force in 2026, excluding premiums. Your contract may provide for different conditions.
Understanding
The deductible is the amount you pay each year before your compulsory basic health insurance (LAMal) starts to reimburse. You choose it yourself: from CHF 300 to CHF 2,500 per year for an adult. For children, the ordinary deductible is CHF 0.
Once you have reached your deductible, you still contribute 10% of the costs: this is the retention fee. It is capped: at most CHF 700 per year for an adult and CHF 350 for a child.
A walk-in emergency consultation is covered by compulsory basic health insurance (LAMal) like any medical consultation, under the same deductible and retention fee mechanism.
Read the full articleAnyone who moves to Switzerland must take out compulsory basic health insurance (LAMal) within 3 months of arriving. Cover is backdated to the day of arrival if you meet this deadline.
5 things to know