Minimize risks in the event of illness
That is why insurance companies in Switzerland offer the so-called daily sickness benefit. In order to minimize your own risks, numerous employers in Switzerland automatically take out a daily sickness benefit insurance.
Employees also benefit from this service, as the daily sickness allowance to some extent replaces lost wages. However, if there is no group insurance, the possibilities for this insurance model are still open.
In this case, however, an individual insurance contract is required to receive daily sickness benefits from an insurance company.
Therefore, daily sickness benefits insurance makes sense
In Switzerland, employers are obliged to continue to pay their employees wages in the event of illness for a fixed period of time. Nevertheless, there are exceptions that quickly lead to a financial bottleneck for those affected.
For example, if you are seriously ill and have not worked for the current company for three months, you will not be entitled to continued wages during the absence. The employer is only obliged to continue paying wages in the event of illness in accordance with the Swiss Code of Obligations, which is only three months later in Switzerland. During the first year of employment, employees who are ill are entitled to continued wages for up to three weeks.
If, on the other hand, the employment relationship has existed for a long time, according to the legislature this entitlement increases to an "appropriately longer period". Individual cantons have so-called wage continuation scales on this subject. As a result, an employer grants his sick employee a continued wage payment of up to four weeks in the second year of employment on the Bernese scale.
According to the Zurich and Basel scale, the duration in these cantons is extended to up to eight weeks under the same conditions. The most important advantages at a glance:
- Continued payment of wages in the event of illness
- financial security based on this
Collective insurance models for employees
However, these regulations make many workers worry. The Swiss daily sickness benefit provides appropriate financial protection. In fact, it is common practice in numerous companies in Switzerland to take out collective daily sickness benefit insurance for the entire workforce.
Depending on the contract, these services even go beyond the statutory right to continued payment of wages. Corresponding agreements must of course be agreed individually in an individual or collective employment contract in each insurance contract.
Benefits for the self-employed
Group insurance aims to provide sickness allowance of up to 720 or 730 days in the event of illness-related incapacity to work. This benefit is usually due after a waiting period has expired.
For employees, this regulation means that they only receive daily sickness benefits after the agreed waiting period has expired. However, the agreements are legally permissible, according to which employees receive only 80 percent of their income.
The self-employed should opt for daily sickness benefit insurance to compensate for loss of income caused by an illness.
For example, the self-employed are entitled to convert an existing collective sickness benefit policy into individual insurance within 30 days after changing from an employment relationship. However, if you have your own employees, you might be able to opt for group insurance for the entire company.
How expensive is daily sickness insurance?
The cost of this policy depends on whether you are self-employed, in a company or as a housewife. If you are employed, you usually assume 50 percent of the costs. Otherwise you will have to pay the full insurance premiums. The amount of the bonus depends on the following factors:
- Are you covered by a group insurance or individual policy?
- What is your current state of health?
- What scope of services do you prefer?
- How long should the waiting period last until the daily sickness benefit is paid out?
For example, if you can get by for a short period of time without paying wages, you can reduce the cost of the policy with a longer waiting period. This model protects you in the event of longer downtimes.
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