BERN - Swiss households knew an increase was coming. On Tuesday the Federal Office of Public Health made it official: health insurance premiums will rise by an average of about 5 percent in 2027, taking the average monthly premium across all age groups to CHF 412.
For adults the monthly premium will climb by CHF 22.80 to an average of CHF 487.60. Young adults will pay CHF 338.80 on average, and the premium for children will rise to CHF 128.10. The national averages hide wide differences between cantons and insurers, and the office urged policyholders to compare offers before the November switching window closes.
A familiar letter, a bigger number
The increase continues the pattern of recent years, in which premiums have consistently outpaced general inflation. Insurers and the cantons point to the growing use of outpatient care, an ageing population and expensive new treatments. Patient and consumer groups answer that households have run out of room: for a family with two adults and two children, the 2027 bill will approach CHF 1,300 a month before deductibles.
The figures land in the middle of an autumn session that has otherwise been dominated by the EU treaty package. Cost containment proposals have circulated in Bern for years without a breakthrough, and the subsidy question is never far away. Our coverage of cantonal premium subsidies and of the last round of increases in January tracks how the burden has shifted.
What policyholders can still do
Residents can change basic-insurance provider for 2027 if they cancel their current policy by the end of November. Consumer advisers recommend checking the deductible, the model, and whether the same insurer offers a cheaper alternative in the same canton. The official premium calculator published by the federal authorities remains the reference for comparing offers.