Flex Hospital Insurance Explained

Flex hospital insurance models let you choose between a general ward and a semi-private or private ward for each hospital stay individually. In this guide, moneyland.ch offers useful information to help you understand how Swiss flex hospital insurance works, and whether or not it makes sense for you.

How does flex hospital insurance work?

Flex hospital insurance is a voluntary insurance for hospital stays that is offered by many Swiss health insurance providers. Flex insurance extends the basic hospital coverage for general wards that comes with compulsory Swiss health insurance. It adds coverage for semi-private and private wards. Each time you are hospitalized, you can choose whether you want to stay in a general ward, a semi-private ward, or a private ward.

Does flex hospital insurance cover the whole cost of hospital stays?

For stays in general wards, flex insurance generally covers certain additional costs that are not already covered by compulsory Swiss health insurance. For example, stays at Swiss public hospitals that are not on your canton’s approved hospital list are generally covered.

For stays in semi-private or private wards, flex insurance offers typically have either a high annual deductible or high coinsurance payments. Most offers have lower deductibles or coinsurance payments if you choose to stay in a semi-private ward instead of a private ward. Some offers cover semi-private wards in full, but only cover part of the cost of stays in private wards.

Depending on the insurance provider, flex insurance may have an annual deductible or a coinsurance payment. If an offer uses an annual deductible, you must pay that amount towards hospital bills yourself. The insurance only applies to the portion of costs that exceed the annual deductible. Some offers have a daily deductible, with the insurance only covering daily costs that exceed that amount. If an offer uses a coinsurance model, the insurance applies to all hospital bills, but you pay a percentage of each bill yourself. Typically, there is a limit on the maximum amount you pay yourself each year.

You have to cover the deductible or coinsurance yourself. The insurance company only pays the remaining costs. That sets flex hospital insurance apart from private-ward insurance and semi-private ward insurance, which cover most of the cost.

Important: Supplemental hospital insurance only covers costs that are not covered by mandatory health insurance. For costs that are covered by mandatory health insurance, the deductible, coinsurance, and hospital stay retention fees of your compulsory Swiss health insurance generally apply.

What are the advantages of flex hospital insurance?

The main advantage of flex hospital insurance is that it is much cheaper than semi-private ward insurance or private ward insurance. Flex insurance is an affordable option for people who are not likely to need hospitalization, but would want to stay in a semi-private or private ward if a hospital stay were ever necessary. 

If you end up only using the insurance on a few rare occasions, the lower premiums (compared to semi-private or private ward insurance) will likely compensate for the higher costs you pay out of your pocket.

What are the disadvantages of flex hospital insurance?

The main disadvantage of the flex hospital insurance model is that you have to pay a substantial part of the costs yourself. If you end up having to stay at hospitals on an ongoing basis, having to cover a large annual deductible or high coinsurance payments can become very expensive. 

In that case, having semi-private ward insurance or private-ward insurance can work out cheaper than flex insurance in spite of the higher insurance premiums, because the part you have to pay out of your own pocket is generally much lower.

How much does flex hospital insurance cost?

The premiums charged vary broadly between flex insurance offers. The interactive hospital insurance comparison on moneyland.ch lets you compare the premiums, and also sort and filter offers based on the coverage they include. Just select the Flex model option under Type of insurance.

Important: There are huge differences between the different flex hospital insurance offers from different health insurance providers. Make sure to look at the coverage and not just the price.

What should I consider when looking at flex hospital insurance?

The most important things to consider are:

• Your needs: If you are content to stay in general wards and only receive treatment in hospitals that are on your canton’s list of approved hospitals, then mandatory Swiss health insurance is sufficient. Affordable supplemental general ward hospital insurance can be used to extend coverage to many Swiss hospitals that are not on your canton’s list. Getting flex insurance only makes sense if you would want to stay in either a semi-private ward or a private ward.
• Semi-private or private: Many insurance providers have just one flex insurance offer that covers both semi-private and private wards. But some have individual flex insurance offers for semi-private wards and for private wards. It helps to know which ward you would want to stay in so that you can compare offers for that category.
• The risk: Flex insurance is an affordable way to insure stays in semi-private or private wards if you only end up needing to be hospitalized occasionally (no more than once a year, for example). If you want to insure the risk of needing regular hospitalization, as might be the case if you became chronically ill, then semi-private ward insurance or private ward insurance is generally a better choice. It is important to consider this carefully, because you normally will not be able to move to a different hospital insurance offer after you become seriously ill.
• Deductibles and coinsurance: This is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a flex hospital insurance offer. You can find the deductible or coinsurance payment on the information pages of flex insurance offers in the interactive hospital insurance comparison.
• The covered hospitals: Flex hospital insurance may cover certain private clinics in addition to public hospitals. In the hospital insurance comparison, you can use the filters under selection of hospitals to limit the comparison to offers that cover specific private clinics.
• Supplemental coverages: Flex hospital insurance offers may include coverage for ambulance transportation, search operations, rescue operations, and convalescence (such as physiotherapy, spa treatments, and rehabilitation after a hospital stay). Benefits for housekeeping, childcare, and petsitting during hospital stays may also be included. Rooming in – staying at the hospital with the patient – is another benefit that is included in many flex insurance offers. Each insurance provider has its own limits for supplemental coverages. You can filter and sort offers based on the supplemental benefits included using the interactive hospital insurance comparison.
• Benefits for general ward and outpatient treatment: Some flex hospital insurance offers pay out insurance benefits (250 francs per day, for example) if you choose to stay in a general ward instead of a semi-private or private ward. Some pay out a benefit (1000 francs, for example) if you choose a home delivery over a hospital maternity ward.
• Psychiatry: Cover for stays in psychiatric clinics can differ from coverage for hospital stays required for illnesses and accidents.
• Cover for hospital stays outside of Switzerland: Some flex insurance offers cover hospital stays outside of Switzerland. Coverage for hospitalization abroad varies hugely between offers. Some offers have the same cover for hospital stays abroad as for hospital stays in Switzerland, including for pre-planned treatment. Other offers only cover hospitalization in foreign countries in the event of medical emergencies. Offers may also have limits on the amount of coverage provided (500 francs per day, for example). Some offers cover planned treatments in foreign hospitals, but not medical emergencies. If you want to receive treatment in hospitals outside of Switzerland, make sure to choose a flex hospital insurance that gives you the coverage you need. Important: Cover for foreign emergency medical care at foreign hospitals is included in some travel insurance offers, credit card insurance benefits, and supplemental outpatient insurance offers. Take time to check whether you already have insurance. 
• Discounts: Some insurance providers offer family discounts. Some give you a discount if you also get other kinds of insurance from them. Some insurance providers reward you with discounts through fitness incentive programs. It is worth accounting for possible discounts when comparing costs.

Is flex hospital insurance obligatory?

No. Flex insurance is an optional insurance that extends the basic coverage for hospital stays that you get with mandatory health insurance. It is up to you to decide whether or not to get flex hospital insurance.

Important: Because flex insurance is voluntary, health insurance providers are not obligated to accept your application. The age limits for new applicants vary between insurance providers. You can find them on the information pages of offers in the moneyland.ch hospital insurance comparison. Insurers can also reject your application if you do not meet their criteria for getting insured (due to existing health problems, for example).

Will I lose my insurance if I leave Switzerland?

Swiss health insurance providers typically require that you live in Switzerland at the time that you apply for voluntary health insurance. However, some flex insurance offers are available to cross-border workers as well.

Many insurance providers give you the option of putting your insurance on hold during a temporary stay abroad. A few insurers let you apply to remain insured for a time after moving to your new country of residence.

More on this topic:
Compare Swiss supplemental hospital insurance offers now
Compare Swiss supplemental outpatient insurance offers now
Hospital insurance for two-patient wards explained
Hospital insurance for single-patient wards explained
General ward hospital insurance explained