Franchise 300 or 2'500? The 2027 break-even point by insurer

A common rule of thumb says: below CHF 2'000 in health costs a year, the CHF 2'500 franchise pays off; above that, the CHF 300 one. We checked this with the 2027 premiums of all insurers. The break-even point depends mainly on two things: your insurer, and whether you insure accidents through your health insurance.

For adults 26 and over in the standard model without accident cover, the median is CHF 1'892; with accident cover, CHF 2'011. Depending on the offer, meaning insurer and region, it ranges from CHF 1'738 to CHF 1'997 without accident cover. And for not a single offer is a franchise in between ever the cheapest.

Adults 26 and over, standard model, 2027 premiums. Source: BAG premium data, Eini calculation, as of 7 October 2026.

How to calculate the break-even point

Your costs for the year are the premiums plus your cost sharing: first the franchise, then a 10% co-payment (Selbstbehalt), at most CHF 700 a year for adults (BAG). With the high franchise you pay a lower premium. The discount may be at most 70% of the additional risk (BAG), so around CHF 1'540 a year for CHF 2'500.

This gives a simple formula: break-even point = (premium difference per year + 270) divided by 0.9. Example with the median of all offers without accident cover (adults 26 and over, standard model): the premium difference between CHF 300 and CHF 2'500 is CHF 1'432.80 a year. (1'433 + 270) / 0.9 gives CHF 1'892. If your health costs are lower, CHF 2'500 works out cheaper for you; if they are higher, CHF 300 does.

Why is the break-even point lower without accident cover? Without accident cover, the whole premium falls by up to 7%, and with it the discount in francs. The median premium difference is CHF 1'432.80 instead of CHF 1'539.60 with accident cover (adults 26 and over, standard model).

The 2027 break-even point by insurer

Across all insurers, the region hardly matters: in all 42 premium regions the median lies between CHF 1'891 and CHF 1'894. What counts is your insurer's discount. For some insurers, however, the break-even point varies by region; the range is in the last column.

Is a franchise in between worth it?

For each offer with all six levels (CHF 300, 500, 1'000, 1'500, 2'000 and 2'500), we compared the costs for every amount from CHF 0 to CHF 8'000 in steps of CHF 25. For none of the 977 offers for adults 26 and over in the standard model without accident cover was a level in between ever the cheapest. So in 2027, for this profile, one of the two ends always pays off: CHF 300 or CHF 2'500.

How much you risk with CHF 2'500

If you have a very expensive year with costs of CHF 9'500 or more, you pay exactly CHF 2'200 more in cost sharing with CHF 2'500 than with CHF 300. The premium discount comes off that. On balance, the median is CHF 767 more a year, CHF 673 to CHF 906 depending on the offer (adults 26 and over, standard model, without accident cover). With costs between CHF 2'500 and CHF 7'300, it is CHF 1'980 more in cost sharing, on balance a median of CHF 547. If you stay healthy, you save a median of CHF 1'433.

With CHF 2'500, in the worst case you pay up to CHF 3'200 in franchise and co-payment a year: CHF 2'500 franchise and CHF 700 co-payment. For a hospital stay, a contribution of CHF 15 a day may be added (BAG).

By when you can change your franchise

• A new franchise always applies from the start of a calendar year (BAG).
• You can choose a higher franchise for 1 January; Priminfo recommends reporting it by mid-December. For a lower franchise, your written notice must reach the insurer by the last working day in November (Priminfo).
• If you want to switch insurer for 2027, your cancellation must reach your current insurer by Monday, 30 November 2026 (Priminfo).

Can dropping accident cover save you even more? More on this: Health insurance without accident cover 2027.

Method and data

• Source: 2027 premium data of compulsory health insurance (BAG, opendata.swiss, as of 29 September 2026).
• Profile: adults 26 and over, standard model, with and without accident cover. For each insurer and region, we compare the same premium with a CHF 300 and a CHF 2'500 franchise (1'019 offers).
• Costs: premiums plus franchise plus 10% co-payment up to CHF 700 (BAG). Health costs means the bills that go through basic health insurance.
• Levels in between: 977 offers without accident cover that offer all six levels, costs from CHF 0 to CHF 8'000 in steps of CHF 25.
• Independent: Eini sells no insurance, does not broker contracts and receives no commissions. This page calculates; it recommends no particular insurer.

Where Eini fits

In the Insurance module, the franchise calculator works with your own figures, and Eini compares your basic health insurance with the official BAG premiums 2026 and 2027. The module is part of Eini Premium: CHF 3 a week or CHF 90 a year, with 7 days free.