Having health insurance is compulsory in Switzerland and all students must have it during their period of education. There are many private companies that are offering their special services and conditions to foreign students in this field. However, needless to say, there are differences between EU/EFTA and students from other countries.
Students from EU/EFTA countries can be free from compulsory Swiss health insurance, provided they are not in gainful employment and under condition that they remain insured by the social security system in their country of domicile. They are entitled to receive medical treatment in Switzerland on presentation of their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). In case these students start to employ themselves full-time, then they will be subject to compulsory health insurance under the Swiss state.
Students from non EU/EFTA countries can only use health insurance from their country of origin, only if it covers equivalent to that provided under a Swiss policy.
As a rule, for international students premiums that must be paid monthly are drastically less than their standard counterparts. Usually, the price is 90 CHF.- per month. However, these good news come with several costs:
- – such insurance provides only the basic health insurance coverage which you receive from standard compulsory Swiss insurance.
- – deductibles are much less