You may want to change your health insurance for different reasons : personal wish, increase of insurance’s tariff, change of coverage. In any case, the starting point of the process is the possible termination date and the termination period (information available in the insurance policy, in the general conditions or in the letter sent by the insurer). You will find below the challenges, its triggers, the method to follow.
Change of insurance : pre-requisites
Depending on the nature of the insurance contract, the termination period is defined by federal, cantonal or private contract regulations. If you want to change your insurer,
- the first information to look for is the notice period.
Also pay attention to “multi-year” contracts that are blocked until the end of the agreed period. - the second thing to do is not to be late in paying insurance premiums.
Late payments of insurance premium to your current insurer lead to systematic refusal of membership by the new insurer.
| Check-List “Termination period” | |
|---|---|
| take note of the start of the contract |  |
| take note of the minimum duration before termination | |
| ensure your insurance premiums to date are paid | |
Change insurance: timelines
There are two important milestones to have in mind when wanting to change insurer:
- the date at which the notice of termination must be received bw the insurer (i.e. number of weeks or months before the date of termination)
- the date of termination, which can be either a calendar date (i.e. end of year, end of quarter) or an anniversary date (e.g. month of signature of the initial contract)
Sometimes, changing insurers can be difficult for example:
- when there is a health issue (e.g. a car accident in the previous months before can make it less attractive to take out new Casco insurance from a competing insurer)
- when you mention a medical treatment in the health questionnaire for complementary health insurance
| Check-List “Termination period” | |
|---|---|
| take note of the duration of the notice of termination | |
| take note of the date of termination (anniversary, calendar) | |
| collect past correspondence around past health issues, damage, accidents, etc | |
Change of insurance: challenges
The first challenge is not to give up the process of changing insurance along the way, due to lack of time.
The second challenge is to actually be in a position to change insurance . When you decide to change your insurer because you are dissatisfied with its service, it is not always possible to do so under the right conditions.
The third challenge is to benefit from the change in insurance in terms of premium or of coverage with regards to the effort it takes in terms of time and attention.
Changing insurers is an approach that requires support and regular review (for example, to assess gains, remember the deadlines, maintain momentum).
helvicare supports you in this process and helps you step by step with its “Change insurance” method
Change of insurance : our tool at helvicare
The helvicare method and web platform help you change insurance. helvicare first starts by assessing whether it is worth changing insurance or not. If so, the planning is jointly defined by you and helvicare. Status is easily accessible and regularly updated in your personal helvicare WEB space.
This support applies to all your insurances: household, motor vehicle, health, legal protection, etc.
| "Change Insurer Tool" check-List | |
|---|---|
| note current coverage | |
| define your need | |
| evaluate the potential for improvement | |
| propose the planning | |
| support the implementation | |
| decide on the final gain | |
| ask for a contract review | |
6 triggers to change your insurance portfolio
You will find below the most frequent events are likely to trigger changes in your insurance portfolio:
- Your insurer informs you of a premium increase : it’s time to compare
- You regularly review your insurance policies that are the most expensive ; this is the case with the change of your health insurance fund
- A change to the insured property (e.g. change of car) is an opportunity to assess the competition.
- A household inventory increase (e.g. new equipment, new artwork) is another opportunity to assess competition and avoid the risk of “under-insurance”
- The value of your motor vehicle has fallen (if bought a while ago) and it may not be so interesting to insure it with the full Casco insurance anymore
- You have lost your job and are no more insured for accident
| Check-List “Triggers to change insurance” | |
|---|---|
| premium increase | |
| I compare my health insurance | |
| change to the insured property (e.g. change of car) | |
| propose the planning | |
| household inventory increased | |
| my vehicle has aged, Casco insurance may no longer be relevant | |
| you have lost your job | |
helvicare supports you in this process and helps you step by step with its “Change insurance” method