Health and Insurance

Health and accident insurance is mandatory in Switzerland; it is your responsibility to take the necessary steps as soon as you arrive in Geneva. Please note that without a valid contract, the Service de l'Assurance Maladie (SAM) will  automatically enroll you in a Swiss insurance plan recognized LAMal. This might lead to higher expenses than the options open to you as a student.

The information below is provided for informational purposes only; if in doubt, please contact the Service de l'Assurance Maladie (SAM) or your health insurance provider.
 

1. Choosing health and accident insurance based on your situation 

There are four scenarios :

a) You have private insurance in your country. It is only valid in Switzerland if the check-form is validated by the Service de l'Assurance Maladie (SAM).
To do before your arrival in Geneva:
- Download the*check-form
- Have it completed and signed by your insurance company  
- Sent it to the Service de l'Assurance Maladie (SAM) for validation

b) You have a European Health Insurance Card.

c) You do not have health and accident insurance. In this case, you must buy an insurance.
**Examples of health and accident insurance for students: Swisscare, Coverio, Golden Care. Other insurance policies can be found online: comparis.ch/krankenkassen.
This list is not exhaustive and the University of Geneva has no contractual relationship with the listed insurance companies.
We leave it up to you to choose the insurance policy whose terms and conditions (benefits and premiums) best suit your situation. For your information, the monthly premium depends on the deductible (the higher the deductible, the cheaper the insurance premium). The deductible is the amount (per calendar year) that you will have to pay yourself before the health and accident insurance begins to reimburse your bills.

d) You already live in Switzerland and have health insurance recognized under LAMal, or you have a salary in Switzerland.
***For any paid work in Switzerland (from 1 hour), you must apply for a work permit and check that your health insurance is recognized under LAMal. This is not the case for the European Health Insurance Card and some of the student health insurance policies.

2. Notify SAM of your health and accident insurance

When the Service de l'Assurance Maladie (SAM) contacts you (and not before), you must return the document indicated in the diagram above with the identification sheet with QR code sent by the SAM and the certificate from the Academic Exchange Office.

! Without a valid contract, you will be automatically enrolled in Swiss insurance by the SAM !

Additional information: unige.ch/sse/equipe/assurances-maladie

Official agency

Service de l'Assurance Maladie - SAM
Route de Frontenex 62
1207 Geneva      
www.ge.ch/organisation/service-assurance-maladie
 

3. Steps for reimbursement of expenses and remaining costs

If you have insurance abroad, contact them to be informed about the terms and conditions for reimbursement.
If you have a European Health Insurance Card, send your documents in PDF format by email to info(at)kvg.org for reimbursement of your medical expenses. If you ask for reimbursement, the amount of CHF 92 per 30 days period is on you. https://www.kvg.org/en/
If you have an insurance in Switzerland, send your invoices to your health insurance company, which will reimburse you once your medical expenses have reached the amount of the deductible. In addition to the deductible, you will be required to pay a 10% co-payment on medical expenses up to CHF 700.

I need medical care
Consultations offered by UNIGE
https://www.unige.ch/sse/en/consultations-psychologiques-medicales
HUG consultation for students
www.hug.ch/medecine-premier-recours/consultation-medecine-interne-generale-etudiants
Resource offices in case of problems
unige.ch/help