Swiss Health Insurance Premiums 2027: Dutch and German Costs

Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany all make basic health insurance compulsory. Within one month in 2026, each published the numbers that set what an adult will pay in 2027.

Switzerland announced its premiums on 29 September.¹ The Dutch government set out its 2027 estimates on Budget Day, 15 September.² Germany's official forecasters gave their estimate for the add-on contribution on 14 October.³

The three systems charge in different ways. Swiss and Dutch adults pay a flat premium per person, plus a deductible. German employees pay a share of their wage and have no deductible. This piece puts them side by side for one adult, and shows where the comparison breaks down.

What an adult pays in 2027

Sources: Swiss Federal Office of Public Health,¹ Swiss health insurance ordinance,⁴ Univé and Overstappen reporting Dutch government figures,²⁵ German social code,⁶⁷⁸ GKV estimating panel as reported by Der Paritätische.³

Switzerland: the highest premium, paid in full by the adult

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health put the average adult premium for 2027 at CHF 487.60 a month. That is CHF 22.80, or 4.9%, more than in 2026.¹ The average across all ages is CHF 412.¹ Young adults pay an average of CHF 338.80 and children CHF 128.10, so a family's bill depends heavily on its make-up.¹

The premium is only part of the bill. Swiss law sets the standard annual deductible, the "franchise", at CHF 300.⁴ After that, the insured person pays 10% of further costs, up to CHF 700 a year for adults.⁴⁹ A hospital stay adds CHF 15 a day.⁴

Adults can choose a higher franchise, up to CHF 2,500, in exchange for a lower premium.⁹ The official average of CHF 487.60 blends all franchise levels and cantons. A given adult's premium depends on where they live, their insurer and their chosen franchise, the Swiss office notes.¹

On the standard franchise, an adult who needs a lot of care in 2027 would pay at most about CHF 6,850. That is twelve average premiums of CHF 487.60, plus the CHF 300 franchise and the CHF 700 cap on the 10% share.

The Netherlands: lower premium, and a deductible that finally moves

The Dutch government expects the average basic premium to reach about €169 a month in 2027, up €12.50, according to a Univé summary of the Budget Day figures.² Overstappen, a comparison site, reported the same €169 figure as the cabinet's expectation.⁵ It is a government estimate, not a price any insurer has published.

The compulsory deductible, the "eigen risico", rises from €385 to €400 in 2027.²⁵ It had been frozen at €385 since 2016, and Dutch law links it to healthcare spending each year.⁵ A planned rise to €455 has been pushed back to 2028, as reported by Overstappen.⁵

That figure changed late. Before Budget Day, Zorgwijzer reported leaked documents saying the deductible would stay at €385 in 2027.¹⁰ The published figures, reported after Budget Day by both Univé and Overstappen, say €400.²⁵

An adult who uses the full deductible would pay about €2,430 in 2027: twelve months at €169, plus €400. Employers also pay an income-based levy for their staff. It is 6.10% of wages in 2026 and planned at 6.27% for 2027, as reported by Zorgwijzer.¹¹

Germany: no deductible, but the premium scales with pay

German statutory health insurance charges a general rate of 14.6% of earnings, set in law.⁶ Each fund adds its own add-on contribution, the "Zusatzbeitrag", on top.³

On 14 October 2026 the official estimating panel put the average add-on for 2027 at 2.9%, unchanged from 2026, as reported by Der Paritätische.³ It is a benchmark. Each fund sets its actual rate, and as of 15 October the health ministry still had to confirm the average by regulation.³

For employees, the employer pays half of the contribution.⁷ At the average add-on, an employee pays about 8.75% of their wage. That stops at a ceiling. In 2027 contributions apply only to earnings up to €6,375 a month, up from €5,812.50 in 2026, the cabinet decided on 7 October.¹² Higher earners therefore pay more in 2027 even though the average add-on is unchanged. The upper house still has to approve it.¹²

So for an employee on €4,000 a month, the employee share comes to about €4,200 a year. At or above the ceiling, it is about €6,690.

Germany has no deductible. Patients make co-payments instead, such as on prescriptions. These are capped at 2% of gross annual income.⁸ For the €4,000 earner, that cap is €960.

The three side by side, in euros

The chart shows what one adult would pay themselves in a year, at the most. It assumes the Swiss standard franchise and average premium, the Dutch estimated premium, and a German employee on €4,000 a month at the average add-on. Swiss francs are converted at the European Central Bank's rate of 0.9227 francs per euro on 23 October 2026.¹³

On those assumptions, the Swiss adult pays the most, at about €7,425. The German employee pays up to about €5,160, and the Dutch adult about €2,430.

The order is not fixed. A German employee earning less than about €1,930 a month pays less in contributions than the Dutch premium of about €2,030 a year. A Swiss adult on a CHF 2,500 franchise pays a lower premium but carries more risk.

What the comparison leaves out

The employer's share is missing from the chart. German employers match the employee's contribution.⁷ Dutch employers pay the income-based levy.¹¹ The Swiss premium in the sources reviewed here is billed per person, with no employer share.

For an employee on €4,000 a month, the employer adds about €4,200 a year in Germany. In the Netherlands, at the planned 6.27%, it adds about €3,010. Counted that way, Germany's total of about €9,360 passes Switzerland's.

Subsidies cut the bill for lower earners. The Dutch care allowance for a single adult rises to a maximum of €140 a month in 2027, according to Univé.² It is not in the chart, and this piece did not research Swiss premium subsidies.

Averages hide the spread. The Swiss figure is a national average across cantons.¹ The Dutch premium is a government estimate before insurers publish.² The German add-on is a benchmark, and some funds will charge more.³

The price is not the package. This piece compares what basic cover costs. It does not compare what basic cover includes in each country.

Some figures are still provisional. As of October 2026, Germany's contribution ceiling awaited approval by the upper house.¹² The Dutch levy rate for 2027 was not final until November.¹¹

How to use these figures if you are moving

Work out your own number, not the average. In Switzerland, get the premium for your canton and your chosen franchise from the federal comparison site the Swiss office links to.¹ Add the franchise and CHF 700 to see your worst case.

In the Netherlands, add €400 to twelve months of your insurer's actual 2027 premium, then check whether you qualify for care allowance. In Germany, multiply your gross wage, up to €6,375 a month, by 7.3% plus half your fund's add-on.