Cancelling health insurance as a couple: should you merge the two funds?

Why couples consider merging their funds

Moving in together changes daily household management: less mail to sort, shared deadlines, an overall view of premiums. Many couples assume a single insurer will simplify everything. Under the LAMal basic insurance, however, each partner remains an individual insured person: there is no joint contract and no «household» premium. Merging therefore mainly means aligning both contracts with the same insurer, not legally combining them.

Before any decision, it helps to separate the mandatory basic cover from the supplementary LCA cover. Basic cover offers identical benefits everywhere; only the premium varies by region and model. Supplementary cover, by contrast, depends on health status and age. A couple is wise to examine these two levels separately before deciding whether to keep two funds or cancel one.

Keep two insurers or cancel one: the trade-off

Keeping two separate insurers is not a management flaw. Each partner can stay where their regional premium, their alternative model (family doctor, telemedicine, HMO) and their supplementary plans suit them. Merging with a single insurer provides one point of contact and a consolidated overview, but no automatic discount on basic cover: the LAMal prohibits premium rebates tied to family situation for adults.

Coordinating both deadlines on 30 November

For basic insurance, the cancellation must reach the insurer by 30 November at the latest, with one month's notice, taking effect on 1 January. When a couple wants to merge contracts, each partner must send their own cancellation letter within this same deadline. A single missed deadline and the contract concerned renews for a full year, throwing the merging plan out of sync.

The safest method is to prepare both cancellations in parallel, by registered mail, and to send none before the new insurer has confirmed admission of both people to basic cover. Admission to basic insurance is mandatory and cannot be refused, which secures this step. Keep the proof of posting: it is decisive in any dispute over the date of receipt.

Extraordinary cancellation when the premium rises

If one partner receives a notice of a premium increase for the following year, they gain an extraordinary right to cancel the basic insurance. This right applies independently of the ordinary deadline and allows leaving the insurer concerned even after 30 November, within the period stated in the insurer's notice. For a couple wishing to realign their contracts in one place, this is a useful opportunity.

Be careful, however: the extraordinary cancellation applies only to the basic cover affected by the increase, not to supplementary LCA plans, which follow their own contractual conditions. If only one partner receives an increase, the couple can use it to move them to the other's insurer, provided admission is confirmed and the chosen models match each person's needs.

Concrete steps for a successful merge

Start by comparing the two current situations: each partner's regional premium, model, deductible and supplementary plans. Then decide whether the goal is a single insurer or simply better coordination. Request the basic-cover offers and, where relevant, submit the supplementary applications first, since those are the ones that can be refused.

Once admission is confirmed for both people, send the basic-cover cancellations before 30 November, then check that cover takes effect on 1 January. Alternative models and the deductible choice can be adjusted along the way to optimise premiums in percentage terms, without ever sacrificing the cover you need. Keep a written record of every step for both partners.