Swiss Private Ward Hospital Insurance Explained

Swiss mandatory health insurance only covers hospitalization in general wards. If the idea of sharing a hospital room with strangers distresses you, complementary private ward hospital insurance can be worth considering.

Does Swiss mandatory health insurance cover private wards?

No. Swiss mandatory health insurance only covers stays in the general wards. This is true both for planned hospitalization at hospitals that are on your canton’s hospital list, and for unplanned hospitalization at other Swiss hospitals due to medical emergencies.

If you choose to stay in a private room, you will have to pay a markup on top. That markup is not covered by mandatory health insurance.

How much do Swiss hospitals charge for private rooms?

Depending on the hospital, you can expect to pay between around 700 and 1000 francs per night to stay in your own private ward at a public hospital. Prices can be much higher than that if you stay in a private clinic.

It is important to note that these fees are in addition to the hospital costs that are covered by mandatory Swiss health insurance.

Hospitals may require you to put down a deposit before allowing you to stay in a private ward, in order to insure that the fees will be paid. You can reclaim the deposit once you have settled your bills. Depending on the hospital, the amount required for the deposit can be in the tens of thousands of francs.

How can I insure against the cost of stays in a private ward?

Many Swiss health insurance providers offer supplemental hospital insurance for private hospital rooms. You can apply for this insurance on a voluntary basis. This insurance covers both the fees charged, and the possible required deposit.

You can compare the costs and coverage of Swiss private ward insurance offers by selecting the “Private ward” option under “Type of insurance” in the moneyland.ch hospital insurance comparison.

How much does private ward hospital insurance cost?

There are a number of factors that determine your private ward hospital insurance premiums:

• Your place of residence: Where you live affects the amount you have to pay for insurance.
• Your gender: Some insurance providers have somewhat higher premiums for women than for men, particularly during years in which maternity is more likely.
• Your age: Your age when you first get the insurance will determine your initial premium. But the cost is not fixed at the initial premium you get at the start. Even after you get the insurance, your premiums will keep going up as you get older. Typically, the lowest premiums apply to children up to the age of 18. For adults, the premiums typically get higher at five-year intervals. The higher your age bracket, the more you will pay for your insurance.

The hospital insurance comparison makes it easy to compare offers. Just select the private ward option in the “Type of insurance” field.

Which costs does private ward hospital insurance cover?

The insurance benefits vary between offers from different insurance providers. It is important to also look at the included coverages, and not just the price.

All private ward hospital insurance offers cover the cost of stays in the private wards of Swiss public hospitals. Other benefits vary between insurance offers, and may include:

• Free choice of doctor: This benefit is generally included in private ward hospital insurance. It lets you pick the doctor that supervises your case from a list of available doctors who are authorized to charge additional fees for consultation.
• Swiss private clinics: The hospital insurance comparison lets you filter private ward insurance offers based on which private clinics are covered.
• Emergencies outside of Switzerland: Many private-ward hospital insurance offers also cover the cost of stays in private wards in foreign hospitals, if you are hospitalized due to an accident or other medical emergency while traveling.
• Planned hospital stays outside of Switzerland: Some health insurance providers have offers that cover planned stays in private wards in both Swiss and foreign hospitals. If you prefer to receive treatment outside of Switzerland, then it is important to look for offers with global cover for planned hospital stays. Be careful to confuse these with offers that only cover medical emergencies, but not planned treatments.
• Ambulances, search, rescue, and repatriation: Many private ward hospital insurance offers include coverage for medical transportation, search and rescue operations, and repatriation back to Switzerland if you are injured or fall ill while traveling abroad.
• Psychiatric treatment: Some private ward hospital insurance offers cover private rooms in psychiatric clinics.
• Recovery: Typically, private ward insurance includes some benefits for stays at rehabilitation clinics, treatments at spas, home-based care after hospitalization, and other convalescence measures. But benefits vary between offers.
• Rooming in: Some offers cover the cost of having a person (a parent, for example) stay with the insured patient at the hospital.
• Housekeeping: Some insurance offers cover the cost of hiring a professional housekeeping service to take care of cleaning and other household duties while you are in the hospital. Some cover the cost of professional childcare services.
• Other benefits: Other benefits that may or may not be included are coverage for alternative treatments, glasses and contact lenses, medicines, and vaccinations.

You can filter and sort offers based on many of these benefits using the interactive hospital insurance comparison on moneyland.ch.

What should I pay attention to when choosing private wards insurance?

In addition to the coverages provided and the cost of insurance, there are a few other aspects that deserve special attention:

• Qualification periods: Certain coverages may be subject to qualification periods. That means you have to be insured for a certain period of time before you can begin claiming benefits. Many offers have qualification periods for maternity, for example.
• Deductibles: Some private ward hospital insurance offers that have an annual deductible. Some insurance providers let you choose between a number of different deductibles when you apply for the insurance, and charge you lower premiums if you add a high deductible.
• Caps on benefits: The costs of staying in a private ward and using the free choice of doctor service are typically covered in full, unless you use an offer with a deductible. But coverage for medical emergencies abroad, rooming in, housekeeping, convalescence, ambulances, and many other benefits are generally limited to certain maximum insurance benefits.
• Time limits: Certain coverages may only apply to the portion of hospital stays that falls below a certain time limit. For example, cover for medical emergencies in foreign countries may be limited (to a maximum of 60 days, for example). Cover for psychiatric treatments is also often limited (to a maximum of 90 days, for example).
• Payouts for not using a private ward: Some private ward hospital insurance offers have special lump-sum benefits that you can claim if you choose to stay in a two-patient room or a general ward instead of a private room. Some offers have special maternity benefits that are paid out to you when you have a home delivery instead of giving birth at a hospital. These benefits can range between hundreds and thousands of francs per day, depending on the insurance offer. Some insurers use a different model in which the annual deductible is fully or partially waived if you stay in a general or two-patient ward.
• Accident cover: Some insurance providers have separate offers for illness and accidents, or let you choose to include or exclude cover for accidents. The basic, compulsory Swiss accident insurance you get from your employer’s accident insurance or your mandatory health insurance provider only covers hospitalization in general wards. Unless you work for an employer that has supplemental accident insurance which covers private wards, it can be beneficial to get private ward hospital insurance that covers both illness and accidents.

Does getting private ward insurance make financial sense?

The insurance premiums for Swiss private ward hospital insurance range between just over 1000 francs per year, and nearly 4000 francs per year, depending on the insurance provider and the coverage included in the offer. You can find the exact prices using the interactive hospital insurance comparison on moneyland.ch.

The cost of staying in a private ward at a Swiss public hospital currently ranges between around 700 francs and 1000 francs per night, depending on the hospital. Whether or not private ward insurance can save you money depends entirely on how frequently you end up needing hospitalization, and the length of each hospital stay. 

If having a private room is very important to you, then having affordable hospital insurance can save you money should you ever need to be hospitalized for longer periods of time. On the other hand, if you are unlikely to ever need hospitalization, but want to be insured against the financial risk, then using flex hospital insurance is a more affordable option.

Flex insurance gives you the option of staying in a private ward, but has a high deductible or coinsurance payment – typically limited to a maximum of several thousand francs per year. You can compare the costs and benefits of Swiss flex hospital insurance offers by selecting “Flex model” under “Type of insurance” in the moneyland.ch hospital insurance comparison.

It is important to note that even if you only have mandatory health insurance, Swiss hospitals may give you the option of upgrading to a private ward. In that case, you would have to cover the additional cost out of your own pocket. However, the required deposits can be prohibitively high.

Do I have a right to private ward hospital insurance?

No. While insurance companies do have to accept applications for basic, mandatory Swiss health insurance, they are not legally required to accept applications for voluntary insurance offers. 

Your application for private ward hospital insurance may be turned down if you do not meet the age requirements, or if your health is poor. Insurers may also accept your application, but exclude coverage for hospitalization resulting from pre-existing health problems.

Does having private ward hospital insurance entitle me to a private room?

Not necessarily. Not all hospitals in all countries offer private wards. Some Swiss hospitals only have a relatively small number of private wards, and these may be fully occupied at the time of your admission. In the case of a planned hospital stay (a non-urgent operation, for example), inquiring at the hospital ahead of time can help prevent disappointment.

If you have private ward insurance from a Swiss health insurance provider, you will generally be admitted to the private wards of Swiss public hospitals without much difficulty. For stays at covered private clinics and foreign hospitals, it is beneficial to obtain a guarantee of cover from your insurance provider before booking the hospital stay.
More on this topic:
Compare supplemental hospital insurance offers now
Swiss flex hospital insurance explained
Swiss semi-private ward hospital insurance explained
Swiss general ward hospital insurance explained