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Legal protection in the event of divorce: what does the insurance company pay for?

Legal protection in the event of divorce: what does the insurance company pay for?

Around 40 percent of all marriages in Switzerland are now divorced, and the number is still increasing. Divorces often cause high costs, which can be in the five-digit range. The question of whether legal protection insurance covers these costs is therefore more than understandable.

Legal protection insurance does not offer all-round protection

The proportion of couples who get divorced after the wedding is growing and growing. This has now risen to around 40 percent. Since the costs for a legally secure divorce can easily exceed CHF 10,000, the question of claiming legal protection insurance is understandable. 

But: Most legal protection insurances in Switzerland do not cover the costs incurred in the event of a divorce! In the best case, there is a regulation in the insurance contract that guarantees at least part of the costs. However, this part is very small and usually amounts to just CHF 500 per divorce. In some cases, costs for legal advice on divorce or mediation are offered. However, this by no means covers the costs of the divorce, and separation can become a financial trap.

Loopholes for legal protection insurance

Most owners of legal protection insurance feel well covered, but the realization that this is not the case comes with the divorce: this is precisely the case that is not covered! The highlight behind it: The legal expenses insurers look very carefully at which areas there are most frequent disputes? and then exclude exactly these areas. 

A fact that consumer advocates have long criticized, but most insured people feel very well protected. Until the day of truth, when there is no insurance cover for inheritance disputes and family law litigation. Incidentally, this also applies to tax, construction and labor law, where insurers are also increasingly restricting their protection.

But even in the event that the insurer covers a specific legal dispute with its policy, this may not be included and the assumption of the legal costs may be rejected. For this, the insurance company assesses the chances of success of the dispute. If it comes to the conclusion that the chances of success are slim, it can refuse to cover the costs. 

In the meantime, legal protection insurance is recommended by consumer advocates only for the transport sector. However, if you want to invoke your insurance in the event of a divorce, you will get (almost) empty-handed in most cases.

Aspects of legal protection insurance in Switzerland

It is not mandatory to take out legal protection insurance in Switzerland, but it is sometimes useful. It is intended to cover the often high costs that arise in the context of legal proceedings, so that those affected can also get justice even if they are not in a position to lead a legal dispute due to their own financial situation. 

In addition, the legal protection insurance should help you get advice from experts and have your own legal situation expertly assessed. If the insurance covers the area of legal advice, at least this benefit can be used in the event of a divorce. Whether this is possible in individual cases, however, should be clarified with the insurer at an early stage, because providers often try to wriggle out of the services.

Conclusion: legal expenses insurance does not cover divorces

Legal protection insurance for the private sector usually does not cover the costs of a divorce. Rather, only partial solutions are offered here, such as the assumption of 500 francs per divorce. 

If at least the area of legal advice is covered by legal protection insurance, the owners of this insurance are at least covered for the often quite expensive advice. However, the actual process costs have to be paid out of pocket. Tip: Since the number of divorces in Switzerland continues to rise, you should pay attention to the coverage of divorce cases when taking out legal protection insurance.

 

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Canceling supplementary insurance: This is how the insured can cancel

Canceling supplementary insurance: This is how the insured can cancel

In the basic insurance, Swiss health insurance companies must accept all applicants for membership. This does not apply to supplementary insurance, where certain risk profiles can lead to rejection. It is therefore important not to cancel an additional insurance policy until another insurance company has already confirmed it.

Wait for confirmation of admission from the other supplementary insurance

The outpatient or inpatient supplementary insurance sets limits in terms of age, place of residence, medical history and gender of the applicant and decides whether or not someone is accepted in the insurance based on an individually created risk profile. Therefore the most important tip: only cancel an existing supplementary insurance if you already have another insurance in your pocket! Of course, this only applies if you want to continue to have additional insurance. The reason: If the new supplementary insurance rejects your application for membership and the previous insurance confirms the cancellation, you can end up without insurance at all.

Important: When you take out additional insurance, you are usually bound for at least one year. Some insurers also offer multi-year contracts that you cannot easily get out of. In return, the premiums are usually cheaper there. It is important to take into account the minimum term in view of the fact that you cannot cancel the insurance before this period has expired. 

The usual notice periods for a one-year supplementary insurance are three months, sometimes even six months. As a rule, the end of the calendar year is decisive for the time of termination and compliance with the statutory notice period. Additional insurance that is not canceled in due time is automatically extended.

Termination if the premium increases

If the insurer increases the premium, a special notice period for termination applies. It is important here to know the general insurance conditions, because the insurers offer different modalities regarding the termination in the event of a premium increase. For some it is possible to submit the written notice of termination by the end of the year, others leave the deadline only until the end of November and still others set a period of one month after the announcement of the increase as the period for a possible termination.

Extraordinary notice of termination may also be submitted if you are classified in the health insurance company in a higher age group, which is therefore more expensive.

Tip: Early termination is not an option if you have moved and for this reason a higher premium applies. Even if a no-claims discount is no longer applicable, no early termination may be submitted.

Please also note: If you have several additional insurances with one health insurance company and, for example, have hospital and dental insurance, the individual regulations of the insurance company must be observed. Some health insurances allow a complete cancellation of all supplementary insurance if the premium is increased, others limit this right to the supplementary insurance whose premium has been increased.

Cancel early after a claim

If a claim had to be settled, there is the right to early termination. This can be done up to the cash payment of the insurance. In the case of one-year contracts, the premium for the year in question is usually still to be paid. However, it can be difficult to find another supplementary insurance if you have canceled directly in the event of a claim. This also applies if the insurance terminates you; a corresponding inquiry can always be expected in the insurance application.

Conclusion: cancel supplementary insurance properly

In order to legally terminate additional insurance, you should observe the notice periods. With most insurance companies, these are set for a period of three months to the end of the year, in some cases the period is even six months or just one month. In the event of damage, extraordinary termination can be given. It is always important that a new supplementary insurance is sought and taken out first and that confirmation of acceptance is available for this. Only then should the previous supplementary insurance be canceled in order to guarantee complete insurance coverage.

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Innovation boost 2020: Corona advances young companies

Innovation boost 2020: Corona advances young companies

Everyone is talking about the Corona crisis and fear the worst economic slump in many years. But this is not the case everywhere, because Corona also promotes young start-ups and causes a surge in innovation that has not been there for a long time.

Swiss Market Entry Bootcamp shows development

The Swiss Market Entry Bootcamp was held this year despite Corona in Zurich and was a wonderful opportunity to find out about new start-ups and their innovative strength. 40 start-ups from 20 countries were gathered there. They showed solutions for certain industries that are particularly hard hit by the Corona crisis. French and German companies were represented in the largest number. 

In addition to the participants who were on site at the boot camp, many companies also took part online. Germany sent a total of eight companies and seven young companies came from France. They presented both digital health solutions and new technologies for digital learning. Further ideas from the Smart City and Mobility sector were presented, along with FinTech and InsurTech companies as well as the Food and Retail sector.

All companies were united in the thought that the economy was in a state of upheaval, which is being accelerated by Corona. It was sometimes assumed that the structural change or the upheaval in the economy was only triggered by the virus, which may certainly be true for individual companies.

The participating start-ups had to qualify for the boot camp and went through an application process. For example, at least one completed financing round had to be completed with external financial partners, and they also had to provide evidence of a functioning business model.

The goals of the boot camp

The Swiss Market Entry Bootcamp took place in this form for the third time, albeit with a significantly higher number of online participants. It was shown that the corona virus has now significantly influenced almost all areas of work and life and that transformation processes have been initiated on a large scale. 

Regardless of whether it is about traveling, shopping, working or studying? new processes and rethinking are required. The participating companies were able to show these new processes and make it clear that changes are possible and sometimes only associated with minor details.

The aim of the boot camp is not only to identify necessities and solutions, but also to enable international partners to network. It is important to find creative solutions for digitization and thus to control business processes. Thanks to various partner companies, it is possible to further consolidate Switzerland's position, because the country is number one in terms of digitization worldwide. This puts Switzerland even ahead of the USA and Sweden, Great Britain and the Netherlands.

Start-ups show innovative solutions

Innovations occur, for example, in the area of reading documents, and the intelligent extraction of data from documents is further developed. This is an important function for insurers or lawyers, among others, because in these areas the absolutely correct reading of data is indispensable. 

The manual check can thus be omitted, which in turn means high cost and time savings.
Digital health profiles, learning programs for smartphones and networking opportunities for students and teachers are also areas in which there is currently a noticeable surge in innovation.

Conclusion: more innovations through Corona

Innovations have always been required, but external influences only intensify them. The current corona crisis has contributed or is still contributing to the fact that there is a real innovation surge and numerous young companies are entering the market. The main focus is on the areas of health and the digitization of learning. Whether these innovations were all triggered by Corona or not simply pushed more clearly by the virus remains a question that cannot be answered.

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Combination packages usually cheaper than individual insurance?

Combination packages usually cheaper than individual insurance?

Household contents and liability insurance can be taken out individually or as a combination insurance. However, a comparison of the premiums shows that the individual variant is often the better, because it is significantly cheaper than many package insurance policies.

Package insurance is often more expensive

Insurers like to suggest that package insurance is the better choice. If household contents and personal liability insurance are combined, this should have a positive effect on the premiums. Consumers shouldn't be blinded by this, however, because precise comparisons have shown that combined insurance can be up to 50 percent more expensive than individual insurance. 

However, the insurance benefits do not increase to the same extent, but are comparable to the individual insurance policies.
In order to find the best insurance for household effects and liability, however, a comprehensive and, above all, specific comparison is important. An example:

Household contents insurance with Smile Direct costs CHF 254.40 a year for a family. Private liability insurance for this target group costs 150 francs with the same insurance. Theoretically, this results in a total of 404.40 francs per year. Smile Direct offers its cheapest combination product for families for 407.60 francs per year. The difference is not great, but it is obviously there. 

If you take out the insurance as individual insurance and rely on Smile Direct and Mobiliar, you can buy both products for the mentioned 404.40 euros. But the insurers can also do something else and so Zurich offers combined insurance for 569.10 francs a year. A difference of at least 161.50 francs!

From this it can be concluded that the insurers by no means offer a cheap option as a combination insurance. They always add a few francs. Even if there are only a few, these add up due to the large number of insured persons.

Look carefully before you finish

Various insurers are trying to attract new policyholders with what appear to be bait offers. They offer combination insurance that is said to be particularly cheap. Discounts are to be granted that make things more attractive. Nevertheless: Despite the discounts, the insurance companies do not manage to catch up with the cheapest representatives in individual insurance.

Before taking out insurance, those willing to take out insurance should therefore take a close look. What does household insurance offer, what does personal liability insurance offer? The services differ depending on the provider, which is particularly evident in the coverage levels. With some insurers, certain benefits are not included; in many cases, deductibles are set per insured event. 

Under no circumstances should policyholders accept blindly following the recommendations of their insurance advisor. The recommended combination insurances may appear attractive at first glance, but of course they also have the advantage that only one policy has to be in place. Less effort, two insurances in one contribution? and yet this variant remains the more expensive and therefore the less recommendable one.

Comparison also with other insurers

Anyone who has decided to take out two individual insurance policies should look beyond the scope of one insurance policy. Because there is no obligation to keep household effects and personal liability with one provider. It is also possible to commission two different insurance companies or to manage policies with two companies. This has the advantage that the insured can choose the cheapest insurance in each case.

Conclusion: combined insurance as a worse choice

Insurance brokers like to recommend combined insurance for household contents and liability for various reasons: It would be cheaper, it would be easier, there would only be one settlement of the premiums. At least the latter points are true, but the decisive factor is the cost, which is by no means lower. In practice, it has been shown that individual insurance policies are significantly cheaper. 

These can also be taken out with two different insurers, which again enables savings. It is important that insured persons do not be blinded by apparent discounts for a combination insurance, because this usually does not make it cheaper than two individual products.

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Debt interest on personal loans: tax deductible?

Debt interest on personal loans: tax deductible?

Homeowners find it a matter of course, private borrowers usually do not even know about the possibility: Debt interest can be claimed with the tax return. It is very easy to apply for tax deductibility.

Tax deductibility of the loan

Not only homeowners, but also private individuals can deduct the debt interest that was paid on a personal loan in the relevant tax year for tax purposes. This applies to both cantonal income tax and direct federal tax. The amount of tax deductibility is capped and is equal to the gross income from private assets plus an exemption of CHF 50,000. 

This regulation does not exclude personal loans. The rule here is that the tax exemption is usually sufficient to fully apply and deduct the interest incurred on a personal loan. In many cases, the deduction of debt interest is very worthwhile, but far too little is known about the corresponding options and consequently they are not used.

An example: A personal loan amounts to CHF 30,000, the term of the loan is 36 months. Interest of 2,000 francs accrues in the first year. The tax rate of the person concerned is 10 percent, the possible tax savings accordingly 200 francs.

Is everything deductible?

As a private borrower, you transfer a certain sum to the lender's account every month. But this is not the debt interest, because the monthly installment consists of both the interest and the repayment amount. On the other hand, only the interest is tax-deductible; you have to pay the repayment portions yourself.
But this also means that the deductible amount is getting smaller and smaller. 

The reason: The interest is calculated from the remaining loan amount. If this decreases due to the continuous repayment, the proportion of interest also decreases. As a result, the repayment portion is higher and the interest is lower. This affects the deduction of debt interest insofar as only small amounts of interest can be deducted shortly before the end of the loan term.

How to make the debt interest deduction

Every year in January, the lenders send out an interest certificate in which the outstanding remaining debt is listed as well as the debt interest that can be deducted for tax purposes. 

The calculation is always based on the full year or the remaining debt that still existed on December 31st. The relevant information is important for the tax return, because it is included in the? Private debt? registered. 

If there are several entries, they will be added together as a total and included in the main form. It is important for tax recognition that a copy of the interest certificate is enclosed.

Tip: If you do not automatically receive an interest certificate, you should request it from the lender so that you can use it for your tax return.

The tax claim in individual steps:

    • Receipt of interest certificate from the lender in January
    • Entry of debt interest under the heading? Private debt? in the tax form
    • Collect all debt interest and transfer the total to the main form
    • Attach a copy of the interest certificate to the tax return
    • Sending the tax return

However, it is not only the debt interest charged by a bank that is deductible. Interest on private loans given by family members is also tax deductible. This does not apply to leasing transactions, because under tax law leasing is not considered a loan, but rather a rental. If you buy a new vehicle, you should finance it with a loan rather than leasing, so that the interest is tax deductible.

Conclusion: apply interest from the personal loan for tax purposes

Even if it is not known: Debt interest from a personal loan can be deducted for tax purposes and thus reduce the tax burden. The type of loan is not limited, the tax deductibility can also be used for interest on credit card debt. However, it is important to have written proof from the lender that the interest has been incurred in the amount specified.

Source: comparis.ch

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The Swiss are getting fit: the fitness boom continues unabated

The Swiss are getting fit: the fitness boom continues unabated

An important trend has been evident for years: the Swiss are getting fit and fitter! At least the fitness boom seems uninterrupted and one in 10 Swiss people now has a fitness subscription. There are a total of around 1,200 fitness centers in the country, plus the many clubs and private sports groups.

Live healthy and benefit from the bonus system

The fitness industry can look back on a record annual turnover of around one billion francs. This puts Switzerland in third place in Europe behind Germany and Great Britain. For the Swiss, it's not just about their health when they do sports and go to the gym. 

The health insurers' bonus system is also quite attractive and often linked to a fitness subscription. However, it is also noticeable that many who are aiming for a gym membership no longer renew it when the probationary year is over. The desire for more fitness can therefore not always outlast the good resolutions for the new year. 

This is where the Swiss Fitness and Health Center Association comes in and has launched a bonus system. This is intended to reward all the Swiss who maintain a healthy lifestyle. The corresponding study in collaboration with the University of Basel wanted to develop a validated method with which the effects of training in the fitness center on the physical health of the participants can be proven.

Sport in regional fitness studios

Most amateur athletes opt for a fitness studio in the immediate vicinity, only if they have special athletic wishes (e.g. kickboxing) are further routes accepted. This is understandable to the extent that every commercial fitness studio has action and weights for appropriate training. 

However, individual needs usually determine the environment in which the Swiss like to do sports. Classic fitness equipment is just as much a focus as holistic concepts or special work-outs, yoga or integrated wellness offers. The following groupings can be identified:

    • Pragmatic fitness types
      Above all, the Swiss who practice fitness more pragmatically and also want to read the newspaper while exercising, have a chat with a friend or need medical therapy to strengthen their muscles train here.
    • Sensual fitness types
      They want to find their inner center while exercising and are looking for sports like yoga and pilates to build both muscles and endurance.
    • Spirited fitness types
      Her focus is on dances and strength building, and Zumba classes, Latino dances and aerobics are mainly taken.
    • Powerful fitness types
      These fitness types are happy to combine boxing or kickboxing with relaxing wellness programs. Back exercises, yoga and kung fu are offered here in conjunction.

Cooperations are trendy

The Swiss fitness studios no longer rely on sole activity, but are happy to bring external partners on board. This is where the catchphrase of functional training falls, which is now considered a health-oriented sport. 

The training is supported by physiotherapists and doctors who use the targeted exercises to recommend options against the more common diseases of affluence. This training takes into account the physical requirements as well as the trainee's own needs. 

Doctors and health insurance companies have caught the trend here and more functional training courses of this kind are being prescribed and paid for by insurance companies. This creates an incentive for more exercise that will soon become a matter of course in everyday life.

Conclusion: The fitness boom continues unabated in Switzerland

For some years now, the trend towards a healthier lifestyle with more exercise can be seen in the increasing number of members of the fitness center. However, not all Swiss stay with their sport, the fluctuation of the members is high. Associations, doctors and physiotherapists try to build networks and, as cooperating partners, contribute to encouraging people to exercise more and to counteract diseases of affluence through regulations. Bonus systems from health insurers also help motivate the insured to join the fitness studio.

 

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Investment property own property: get the most out of it

Investment property own property: get the most out of it

Real estate is still considered a first-class investment property that should also be included in the investment portfolio as part of private retirement provision. The following tips should be considered when selecting the right investment property.

It's not just the location that matters

Everyone who has anything to do with real estate knows the saying: Everything that is important is the location! But that's not entirely true, because in addition to the location, there are numerous other aspects that should be considered when selecting the right investment property.

Only if everything really fits can the desired effect be achieved with the property, which should usually consist of increased profits. Accordingly, these points are important:

    • location
      Access to public transport and general infrastructure are crucial. How is the property in relation to schools and kindergartens, doctors' offices and administrative facilities? A property in the country can also be profitable, but it should have very good connections to the most important infrastructure facilities.
    • construction
      The structure of the building and the year of construction are decisive. Older buildings are often in poor condition and often require expensive renovation. New buildings are usually more expensive, but there will be no renovation work in the next 20 to 25 years. Possible repairs to the building cannot be completely ruled out here either, but they are less likely.
    • Tenant structure
      If the targeted property is a building that has been rented out, a look at the tenants is essential. How often do they change and what is their payment behavior? Are there any noticeable vacancies or apartments that are regularly moved into? If you take a close look at the tenancy agreements before buying the property, you can save yourself a lot of trouble.
    • price
      The purchase price is certainly one of the most important criteria, but should always be considered in conjunction with the other aspects. A property that has an excellent location and structure as well as a complete rental with reliable tenants will always be more expensive than a property that is the complete opposite. Alleged bargains should always be viewed with caution!

Calculate the return on the property correctly

In order to be able to determine the return on the property, an appraisal must first be made. Usually it is about the market value that real estate experts calculate. Real value and income value are the two values that have a significant impact on the market value. The real value is the current value of the building in connection with the land value. The earnings value, on the other hand, reflects the long-term rental value of the property.
In order to estimate the earnings value, the net rental income must be compared to the capitalization rate. The latter is expressed as a percentage of the costs incurred. Laypeople can get help with these calculations from a real estate or financial advisor, whose services they should definitely use before making a purchase.

In order to calculate the return on the investment property, the expected profit is divided by the total capital that must be used. An example:

A property has an investment value of 3 million Swiss francs. The gross rental income is CHF 300,000, the gross yield would be 10 percent.

More informative, however, is the net return, where the costs incurred must be deducted from the rental income. If the property shown above as an example causes costs of 80,000 francs per year, these must be deducted from the 300,000 francs. This results in a net return of 7.3 percent.

Conclusion: Do not buy a property as an investment property without a specialist

Certainly the layman can also be lucky and earn a profit with the property bought blindly and unsuspectingly. However, if you want to approach the matter professionally and not risk financial loss, you should definitely rely on a professional. The value of the investment property must be calculated as well as the possible return, which in turn is influenced by all cost factors.


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Mandated Quarantine: Does Travel Insurance Pay?

Mandated Quarantine: Does Travel Insurance Pay?

Currently a frequently asked question: If the health department orders the quarantine? then does the travel insurance pay? Many insurers take a stand, as in the case of a student whose insurance ERV did not want to pay.

Travel insurance only applies in the event of illness?

A student from Bern wanted to go on vacation to Austria at the end of July 2020. One day before she was due to leave, the canton doctor sent her into forced quarantine. The reason: A person in a club where the student was also a guest had tested positive for the corona virus. Now the young woman had to cancel the trip, and one of her travel companions was also not allowed to drive.

The student turned to her travel insurance company, ERV. This assured her on the phone that she would be reimbursed. In writing, however, the question was denied that such a situation as the forced quarantine was not insured. The ERV pointed out that it had made the corresponding regulation clear in its general insurance conditions, because it said that only the insured person who had been quarantined due to an identified illness could claim benefits. 

However, the student in question had not tested positive, the quarantine was merely a precautionary measure.

Other insurance companies are more accommodating

Other insurance companies showed up when asked by the SRF consumer magazine? Espresso? much more accommodating and pointed out that such a case of the ordered quarantine would have been insured with them. AXA, Mobiliar, TCS and Zurich Insurance were asked about this. The prerequisite, however, is that the quarantine can be proven, which, however, should be possible by the order of the health department. 

In addition, the customer would have had to take out the insurance before the first lockdown; there would have been time until the beginning of March.
The student was of course disappointed, it doesn't help if other travel insurances are more accommodating and would have paid. The sense of travel insurance did not reveal itself to her when she asked. But the consumer magazine turned out to be extremely helpful and followed up with ERV.

Insurance gives in under pressure

Even if the ERV had given the student a written rejection of the service request, she was then understanding and gave in. The insurance company said that it knew that in the current situation more measures for forced quarantine had been prescribed at the student's place of residence and that this was to be expected in the future. 

The new situation was taken on and, of course, in the interests of the customers, the decision was made to provide the insurance benefits. However, the statement was only related to the quarantine due to the corona virus. This could mean that the goodwill of the travel insurance does not apply equally to other viruses, whereby the risk of being put into compulsory quarantine because of another illness is significantly lower.

As a result, ERV took over the costs incurred for the cancellation of the trip and also included the request from the student from Bern for these services. ERV even went so far that it did not consider the date on which the insurance was taken out to be decisive, but said that it did not matter whether the insurance was taken out before the first lockdown or later. The only decisive factor is that the quarantine regulation was not in place at the time the insurance was taken out.

Conclusion: travel insurance pays even if quarantine is ordered

The travel insurance always pays if the reason why a trip cannot be started lies in the person of the traveler. If he falls ill and cannot start his trip, the insurance pays the travel fees or any cancellation costs. In the current Corona situation, however, most travel insurances pay if the quarantine is ordered without the person concerned being demonstrably ill. A positive test result is therefore not mandatory.


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Well insured in 2021: Find the best pet insurance

Well insured in 2021: Find the best pet insurance

The dear four-legged friends can cause high costs that significantly exceed the cost of acquisition. Animal insurance cushions immense additional costs, but of course also requires premiums. How to find the best pet insurance for Bello and Miez!

Tips for finding the right pet insurance

Many of the large insurers now also offer animal insurance, but with different benefits, coverage levels and premiums. In view of the fact that dogs and cats do not get very old, but can cause high costs within their lifetime, the thought of such a pet insurance is definitely worthwhile. The following tips can help you find the best individual insurance: 

    • Compare premiums
      The premiums are very different depending on the provider. However, you should not only look at the pure premium, but relate it to the benefits. Very high benefits with extensive coverage of many diseases naturally result in higher premiums. Also important: with some insurance companies, the premium increases with the age of the animal.
    • Note the maximum coverage
      Many insurance companies set a maximum amount per year as coverage. However, if the dog needs very costly treatment, this maximum amount is usually reached quickly. If the insurance then does not cover any further costs, these must be paid by the animal owner and also pay the premium for the year in question.
    • Consider deductibles
      Many animal insurers set a deductible, which is calculated either as a percentage or as an absolute value. Usually the deductible is 10 percent of the treatment costs, but it is sometimes increased to up to 40 percent. Even if the premiums are low, a high deductible is a contra-indicator for this insurance. Some insurance companies also require that the insured bear the costs up to a fixed annual contribution.
    • Keep an eye on total costs
      The total cost should take into account all deductibles, premiums and coverage offered by the insurer in question. Only from the connection performance? Cover? In the amount of the premium, a conclusion can be drawn about the usefulness of the individual animal insurance.
    • Note waiting periods
      In most cases, the animal insurance cannot be used immediately, but a waiting period must be observed. This is the time a pet owner has to wait before insurance will cover a claim. Important: If the animal's health problem already existed when the insurance was taken out, this is usually not covered. Depending on the illness, the waiting period can be longer and up to three months.
    • Special services
      While the usual treatment costs are usually covered, this is usually not the case with vaccinations. The insurance companies partly contribute to the costs, but do not cover them completely. This also applies to alternative medical treatments that the pet needs. Some insurance companies set an amount of around CHF 500 per year for this, while others only participate in homeopathic treatments.

In order to find the right pet insurance, all of these points should be compared. The attitude of the animal owner is also important: In the event of illness or an accident, do I really want to try everything to help the animal? How do I feel about TCM, homeopathy and alternative treatment options? Would behavior therapy be an option for my animal? The right insurance package can be put together from all of these considerations.

Conclusion: The best pet insurance requires a comprehensive comparison

The follow-up costs after purchasing a pet are important for most pet owners. A case of illness or an accident can quickly lead to immense costs, which are best covered by animal insurance. In view of the large number of providers, a comprehensive insurance comparison that includes both the services offered, the exclusions of benefits and coverage as well as any waiting periods is worthwhile.

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Premiums will rise in 2021: insured persons pay up to two percent more?

Premiums will rise in 2021: insured persons pay up to two percent more?

Since mid-2020, insured persons in Switzerland have been suffering from the? Corona shock? threatened: health insurance premiums should supposedly increase by up to two percent for 2021. But now the insured can breathe a sigh of relief because the threatened shock does not materialize.

Moderate increase in premiums

The average health insurance premium has risen annually by around 3.8 percent since 1996, for this reason alone the threatened two percent increase would not have been a real surprise. In 2020, the premiums were only increased by an average of 0.2 percent, which meant just a little more than one franc per month for an adult. 

The direction taken with this will continue in 2021, with most insurers announcing moderate increases of less than one percent or even premium reductions. Only a few cantons are outliers that actually scratch or exceed the two percent mark.

The greatest changes will have to be made by people aged 26 and over in 2021, and here in the cantons of Valais, Ticino and Jura. In the previous year, however, Ticino and Valais were the cantons in which the adjustments were most pronounced. 

Wallis even increased for the third time in a row.
Other cantons such as Zurich, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden and Obwalden are lowering the premiums, in Basel Stadt, Schwyz, Zurich and Schaffhausen the premiums are falling for the second time. Here is an overview of the increases and decreases for the individual cantons:

    • Aargau: - 0.1 percent
    • Appenzell Innerrhoden: - 1.6 percent
    • Appenzell Ausserrhoden: - 0.1 percent
    • Bern: + 0.8 percent
    • Basel Landschaft: + 1.3 percent
    • Basel City: 0 percent
    • Freiburg: + 0.6 percent
    • Geneva: + 0.6 percent
    • Glarus: + 0.1 percent
    • Graubünden: +0.4 percent
    • Jura: +2 percent
    • Lucerne: +1.4 percent
    • Neuchâtel: - 0.2 percent
    • Nidwalden: + 1.1 percent
    • Obwalden: -0.1 percent
    • St. Gallen: + 0.1 percent
    • Schaffhausen: - 0.1 percent
    • Solothurn: + 0.1 percent
    • Schwyz: - 0.1 percent
    • Thurgau: + 1.2 percent
    • Ticino: + 2.1 percent
    • Uri: + 0.8 percent
    • Vaud: + 0.9 percent
    • Valais: + 1.6 percent
    • Train: + 0.8 percent
    • Zurich: - 0.7 percent

The further way of the health insurance premiums

At the moment, no one can say exactly how the premiums will develop in the future. It is likely, however, that they will continue to rise, with a moderate increase as the goal, according to the BAG. The Federal Council has therefore proposed a reduction in reserves in view of demographic change and medical and technical progress. This reserve is currently around eleven billion francs, which, according to the Federal Council, is far too high.

But the fact is first of all that the worries of most Swiss are unfounded and that the premiums rise much less strongly than feared. The reason for the fears was and is the Corona crisis, which causes high expenditure and, according to many, could lead to an increase in premiums.

Conclusion: no strong increases and no corona shock

Only a few cantons show themselves to be outliers and increase the premiums for the health insurance companies by around two percent from 2021. Many health insurers are lowering the premiums, with great savings potential, especially for young adults between 19 and 25 years of age. 

This group of insured had already been given reductions the year before, now the premiums will fall again. It remains to be seen whether and how the contributions will develop from 2022 and whether high health insurance expenses will then be passed on to the insured.

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