Telmed premiums are often higher than family doctor plans in Switzerland

Swiss health insurers offer alternative plans that can lower premiums but require members to contact a family doctor, a group practice or a phone service first when they need care.

The amount insurers can discount these plans depends on the cost savings they achieve compared with standard plans that allow free choice of doctor.

Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health checks that discounts reflect those savings.

A review of 870 offers for adults with a 2,500-franc deductible found that Telmed plans were more expensive than family doctor plans in 330 cases for 2027, cheaper in 427 and the same price in 113.

This means the phone-based option is not always the cheapest, even though it may seem more restrictive.

Prices differ between insurers and regions, so there is no general rule that Telmed or family doctor plans cost less.

Insurers can offer discounts of up to 14 percent for new plans for five years, then must use their cost experience to calculate the maximum discount.