Two bills, one problem How changing health insurer can be a nightmare
A man wants to switch health insurers and suddenly receives premium invoices from two insurers. Problems with switching are more common than you might think - and can have unpleasant consequences.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A man wants to switch health insurers, but instead receives premium invoices from two insurance companies and finally realizes that the switch was never completed.
- According to the Health Insurance Ombudsman's Office, problems when switching health insurers are not uncommon.
- There is a risk of double payments or debt collection. If an insurer is responsible for the problems, it may be liable for damages.
Have you also had problems switching health insurers? Contact blue News on WhatsApp at +41 79 282 27 12 or by e-mail.
The back story: Nice new insurance
It sounded so good: by switching to Assura, the family of four would save over CHF 2,000 in premiums in 2026. The Assura employee was helpful and obliging during the last meeting before the deal was signed: "Leave everything to us, we'll take care of the deregistration for you." It was only important that the new customer quickly signed and returned the application for membership to Assura.
No sooner said than done: Assura thanked him for the insurance application in October. "(...) please remember to cancel your current basic insurance. Your termination letter (see example) must reach your current health insurance company by post by November 30* at the latest," it also said. But the customer advisor had already promised to take care of this.
In December, not only did Assura's first premium invoice for January 2026 arrive, but also that of the previous insurer, Sympany, for the same month. "It's all fully automated and was probably triggered before the termination was processed administratively," thought the father of the family, whose identity is known to blue News.
Premium bills from two basic insurance policies
In mid-December, he became unsure and tried to contact the friendly Assura employee. E-mails and calls are not answered or taken at first. Then, shortly before the Christmas vacations, it finally works. Surprise: the man has already clarified the status of the terminations. "Everything has been stamped on time," he announces on the phone. So the worry was unfounded.
What is clear is that health insurance companies have a huge administrative mountain to contend with at the turn of the year, as hundreds of thousands of people change insurer. According to the latest figures available from the FOPH, 750,000 insured persons will switch to a new health insurer in 2024.
Administratively, the following happens: Insured persons terminate their contract with their current insurer and apply to join the new health insurer. The latter sends confirmation to the previous insurer that the person will be insured with them as soon as they approve the insured person. However, the person wishing to switch is not yet accepted. Only when the previous insurer confirms that its customer has settled all invoices does it allow the customer to move. Due to the payment deadlines, this may not be the case until the new year.
The bad realization: the switch has failed
In the new year, the father of the family featured in this story discovers that he is still receiving premium invoices from both Sympany and Assura. As he only pays those from Assura, the unpaid premiums add up to over CHF 3,000 by the end of January.
The man then writes to the old insurer to ask them to stop issuing invoices, as they have no longer been responsible since January 1, 2026. The answer came a few days later: she had not received any notice of termination. The insurance relationship was still valid.
In response to a written request, Assura has now at least reported that it is looking into the matter. It is now February. Another 13 days later, the father of the family sends the e-mail from Sympany, in which it reports the lack of notice of termination, to Assura.
Assura terminates the contract "as requested"
Things move quickly. Two days later, a letter arrives in the mailbox from Assura stating that it has examined the feedback in detail and analyzed the available information. According to the company, "effective ambiguities" had arisen in this case.
"For this reason, we confirm, without acknowledging any legal obligation, that we will cancel all contracts as requested," the letter reads.
The euphemistic description of what had happened annoyed the man. And plunged him into a dilemma: an insurance company that fails in the simple and elementary task of submitting a notice of termination on time seems untrustworthy. At the same time, he mourns the 2,000 francs he has not saved.
What Assura says about the failed switch
Confronted with the case by blue News, Assura asks for the identity of the person in question so that it can clarify what exactly happened. The father of the family does not want to know. He prefers to remain anonymous. Assura's media office then sends the following statement:
"Assura would like to point out that its advisors can usually offer to send the termination letter to the current insurer as a service during a customer meeting. In such a case, the termination letter is signed by hand by the customer beforehand and the advisor ensures that the notice period is observed. In addition, it is noted in the minutes of the consultation (by marking a cross) whether the customer has decided to transfer the termination to Assura."
The man contradicts this statement. If this had been the agreed procedure, the employee would have pointed this out to him during the consultation in December at the latest. However, when he expressed doubts that the deregistration from the old health insurance company had taken place, the customer advisor said that everything was in order. He also said that the premium invoice from the previous insurer for January had probably been triggered before the termination had been processed. That was quite normal.
The big picture: Problems with switching insurers are an ongoing issue for the ombudsman's office
The man who told blue News his story is not alone with his failed health insurance switch. Susanne Müller Ineichen, head of the health insurance ombudsman's office, says that every year in January and February they almost only have to deal with cases like this.
The transition from one health insurer to another is clearly regulated and takes place hundreds of thousands of times every year, as shown above.
However, there are also four stages at which this can fail. Only when these four conditions are met is the contract with the new health insurer valid.
1. the old insurance contract must be terminated in due time
2. the application for membership must be received by the new insurer by the deadline.
3. the subsequent insurer must confirm to the previous insurer that it will take over the customer - the so-called confirmation of subsequent insurance.
4. the insured person has paid all invoices of the previous insurer. Only then is the customer released.
The ombudswoman advises: "Cancel it yourself!"
Müller Ineichen has a clear recommendation with regard to the first stage: "Insured persons should cancel the old insurance themselves. Then they know it's been done." The all-inclusive offer from the new insurer is tempting, but as in this case, it can cause the switch to fail at an early stage.
Another reason is a common misunderstanding, as ombudswoman Müller Ineichen points out: "The notice of termination must be received by the old insurer on the last working day in November." The postmark of November 30 is not sufficient. If this is a Sunday, the notice of termination must be posted by November 27 at the latest in order to arrive on Friday, November 28.
Registered letters are only deemed to have been accepted seven days after the first unsuccessful delivery attempt. "We recommend sending registered letters at least ten days before the notice period expires," says Müller Ineichen.
The ombudswoman explains that most people only realize that something is wrong in the new year. Then questions arise such as: Which bill should they pay if they don't know where they are insured, which ones should they leave? And what does this mean for the services they use while they seem to be hovering between two insurance companies? The father of the family experienced it himself when he was told at his GP practice that the system reported his insurance status as unclear. Nevertheless, he was treated without any problems.
Another question is who is obliged to take action to clarify the situation in this limbo between two health insurance companies? Müller Ineichen, who is also a lawyer, does not clarify this legally, but argues strongly that the insured persons should take care of it themselves.
Because there is also the threat of trouble from another side. As the old health insurance company continues to demand premiums, the second payment reminder may be followed by debt enforcement. This can become a problem when applying for a rental apartment or signing a leasing contract, for example. Müller Ineichen confirms that debt collection repeatedly occurs when insured persons do not realize for too long that they are paying their premiums to the wrong insurance company.
Some only realize it years later
"The incompetent health insurer must withdraw the debt collection after the double insurance has been canceled," says Müller Ineichen reassuringly. In this case, the insurer has no right to invoice and the debt collection has no basis. The situation is different for the previous insurer, who is still entitled to send premium invoices if the switch fails. She adds that they are even obliged by the Health Insurance Act to initiate debt collection in the event of outstanding payments.
She adds that there are also people who only realized after several years that they had paid premiums from two health insurance companies, even though they were only insured with one. "If you pay the premiums to the wrong insurer - or both at the same time - as a result of double insurance, you get this money back for the last ten years." In the experience of the ombudsman's office, health insurers refund the money they are not entitled to without hesitation.
As long as it is unclear which of several insurers is the valid one, it is advisable to request a stop reminder from all of them until the situation has been clarified. This does not change the total amount ultimately payable. However, the risk of debt collection is averted for the time being. There is no need to go to the trouble of having an unjustified debt collection deleted.
However, it is clear where someone is insured if there is a problem with the change: insured persons remain under contract with the old health insurance company until a legally valid contract with another insurer has been concluded. Müller Ineichen explains that this is why the confirmation of subsequent insurance is needed. It is compulsory to have health insurance in Switzerland. The procedure between the previous and subsequent insurer prevents someone from falling out of the system or escaping from it, says the lawyer and health insurance specialist.
If the insurer is at fault, it must pay the difference in premiums
If it turns out that one of the two health insurers is responsible for the fact that the switch did not take place in the new year, it is also possible to switch to the new basic insurance later in the year. "We see cases where insured persons are only accepted by the new health insurance company in the summer." The premiums are then paid to the old insurer until the actual switch, and the insured persons also settle their benefits via the old insurer.
She cannot say which of the four conditions for switching most frequently leads to problems. "We regularly see all four: late termination by the insured, late registration with the new health insurer, late submission of the confirmation of subsequent insurance and unpaid bills with the old insurer."
Important to know, also for the father of the family: If an insurance company is to blame for the late or failed switch, it must compensate the insured persons concerned. Specifically, it must pay the difference in premiums.
So there is still a chance to benefit from the lower premium - provided it can be proven that Assura promised to send the notice of termination to Sympany on time.
The wording in Assura's farewell letter - "at your request" - indicates that Assura does not acknowledge its fault. In reality, it was not the man's wish not to be accepted by Assura - on the contrary.
The next step for the father of the family is now to assert his claim for compensation. Proving what the nice Assura employee promised on the phone is likely to be difficult.
