Health insurance: Premium regions

In larger cantons within which substantial variations in costs are found, the canton may be subdivided into two or three premium regions. The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) will then specify the maximum premium differences permissible between such regions.

Cantons Bern, Graubünden, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Zurich are each subdivided into three regions for premium purposes. Cantons Basel-Landschaft, Fribourg, Schaffhausen, Ticino, Valais and Vaud are each subdivided into two regions for premium purposes. 

The health insurance providers can set differing premiums for different regions for premium purposes within a particular canton. So for residents of cantons with regions for premium purposes, their health insurance premium will also depend on their municipality of residence and the region for premium purposes to which it belongs. 

The maximum reductions permissible between regions for premium purposes within a particular canton are shown in the following table:

 
Canton Maximum reduction
for premium purpose 2
Maximum reduction
for premium purpose 3
ZH 15 % 10 %
BE 15 % 10 %
LU 15 % 5 %
FR 10 % -
BL 15 % -
SH 15 % -
SG 10 % 10 %
GR 15 % 10 %
TI 15 % -
VD 15 % -
VS 15 % -

The FDHA commissions regular appraisals of whether the regions for premium purposes defined and the premium differences permitted between them are still fit for purpose. The currently valid regions for premium purposes and the maximum reductions permitted are specified in the FDHA Ordinance on Regions for Premium Purposes (SR 832.106).
The health insurance premium is partly dependent on the premium region to which the insured person’s place of residence belongs. The FDHA ordinance specifies the premium region applicable to the commune in question. The Excel table provided under the ‘Documents’ tab permits searches to be made using various criteria such as town or village name or postal code. These criteria should only be viewed as a search help, however – if, for instance, the official name of the municipality is not known. The sole basis for premium calculations is the region for premium purposes specified in the FDHA Ordinance for the municipality concerned.

Last modification 28.08.2023

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Contact

Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Health and Accident Insurance Directorate
Premiums and Solvency Oversight Section
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
3003 Bern
Switzerland
Tel. +41 58 462 21 11
E-mail

Print contact

https://www.bag.admin.ch/content/bag/en/home/versicherungen/krankenversicherung/krankenversicherung-versicherer-aufsicht/praemienregionen.html