{"id":31391,"date":"2026-09-28T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebrokernews.ch\/when-the-phone-rings-its-usually-the-wrong-register\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T16:28:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:28:52","slug":"when-the-phone-rings-its-wrong-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebrokernews.ch\/en\/when-the-phone-rings-its-wrong-register\/","title":{"rendered":"When the phone rings, it’s usually the wrong register"},"content":{"rendered":"
Telephone calls to solicit new supplemental insurance policies are not always, but usually, prohibited.<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow, the federal government will publish the 2027 health insurance premiums; an increase of about five percent is expected. For policyholders, this marks the start of the switching season; for unscrupulous brokers, it\u2019s peak season. Yet cold-calling has been banned for two years now, and the most sensible way to get a lower premium doesn\u2019t involve picking up the phone anyway.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a ritual that recurs as reliably as the fall foliage. No sooner are the new premiums announced than a friendly voice calls, wanting to talk \u201cjust briefly\u201d about health insurance. They say they have an offer, the same coverage, but significantly cheaper. Anyone who takes notice at this point is right. Since September 1, 2024, such unsolicited calls to people with whom there is no existing customer relationship have been prohibited by law. At that time, the Federal Council declared the health insurers\u2019 industry agreement to be generally binding and, at the same time, capped broker commissions. The phones still ring, though less frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Promise Over the Phone, the Surprise in the Contract<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Lucius D\u00fcrr from the industry reporting center Fair-Mittler<\/a> describes this typical pattern to SRF Espresso. Most often, the issue isn\u2019t with basic coverage but with supplemental insurance. Equivalence is promised over the phone, but the written contract then omits benefits that policyholders had come to rely on. Added to this is a newer problem: digital onboarding processes in which the final click is already considered a signature without the policyholder being aware of it. D\u00fcrr therefore advocates for an additional confirmation step by insurers before a contract is finalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who feels they have been taken by surprise can contact the reporting office. The office will investigate the matter, obtain a statement from the insurer, and then seek an amicable solution, which often involves retroactively canceling the contract. According to D\u00fcrr, the health insurance providers are usually cooperative in such cases. However, the reporting office has not been authorized to impose fines since the end of 2023. The sanctions amount to FINMA<\/a> for supplemental insurance and at the BAG<\/a> for basic health insurance. And here\u2019s a detail that many overlook: The reporting office is not allowed to forward incoming cases to the authorities. Anyone who wants an intermediary to actually face consequences must report the matter directly to FINMA or the FOPH. Violations of fair trading laws are also handled by the Seco<\/a> On the contrary. While FINMA notes that the number of cases has declined, it still sees a need for action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s worth switching, even a second or third time<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Just because the caller is using the wrong approach doesn\u2019t mean their issue is wrong. AXA\u2019s<\/a> latest analysis shows just how much money is left on the table. Those switching their basic health insurance for the first time save an average of 563 francs per year. Those who continue to optimize their coverage afterward still save an average of 383 francs on subsequent switches. The difference between the first switch and subsequent switches is most pronounced in Zurich, where first-time switchers save 61 percent more. When broken down by age, 26- to 30-year-olds benefit the most from further optimization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AXA recommends making it a point to compare premiums every year and to examine not only the insurer but also the plan and deductible. This recommendation is based on all basic insurance switches that AXA customers with supplemental insurance have processed through the company over the past four years. A little side note: AXA itself does not offer any basic insurance at all. So it has no interest in where customers switch to, but it does want them to remain loyal to it for supplemental insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laziness as a Business Model<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

So why don’t more people switch? Because the effort involved is daunting: comparing plans, canceling, signing up for a new one, and all by November 30. That’s exactly where the Bern-based startup comes in lazy<\/a> After a one-time sign-up, the service reviews premiums every year and automatically switches the basic insurance to the most affordable provider that meets the customer\u2019s criteria. Customers are notified before each switch, and they can exclude providers they do not want. \u201cThe current system only works if policyholders take action themselves every year. We\u2019re turning that principle on its head,\u201d says co-founder Elias Nast. To remain independent, faula declines commissions from insurance companies and does not sell supplemental insurance. Starting in mid-October, the service will also be available to couples and families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could see this as the opposite of a cold call. In that scenario, someone imposes themselves on the decision-making process without being asked; here, the decision is deliberately delegated according to clear rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autopilot for the legal matters, sound judgment for the rest<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Autopilot works with basic health insurance because the benefits are legally identical across all insurers, and every insurer is required to provide them. Neither of these applies to supplemental health insurance. Here, health assessments, exclusions, and benefit details are the deciding factors, and this is precisely where unscrupulous callers come in. The rule of thumb, therefore, remains simple: Never cancel an existing supplemental insurance policy before the new one is confirmed in writing, and never compare benefits over the phone\u2014always do so in writing or with an independent advisor. For brokers, this isn\u2019t bad news. The more standardizable processes can be automated, the more visible the value becomes of those who provide sound advice on non-standardizable issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when you see the new premiums tomorrow, you have three reasonable options: compare them yourself, have someone else handle the switch, or seek advice. The fourth option, signing on the spot over the phone, is not one of them. And if you receive such a call, you shouldn\u2019t just brush it off, you should report it. Report it to \u201cFair-Mittler\u201d for mediation, or to FINMA or the FOPH for further action. Comparis<\/a> also offers a health insurance comparison tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Binci Heeb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See also: Health Insurance Premiums to Rise 4.4 Percent in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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