Two separate contracts with the same insurer
At Sanitas, as with most insurers, LAMal basic insurance and LCA supplementary cover are governed by two different laws and legally form two separate contracts. The basic plan covers the mandatory benefits defined by law, identical everywhere, while the supplementary cover falls under private law and offers additional benefits freely set by the insurer.
This distinction is essential when cancelling. You can leave Sanitas for your basic insurance and entrust it to another fund while keeping your Sanitas supplementary cover. The two contracts are not linked: cancelling one does not automatically end the other, provided you strictly respect their respective deadlines.
Cancelling the LAMal basic plan by 30 November
For basic insurance, the law sets a clear deadline: ordinary cancellation takes effect on 1 January, and the one-month notice period requires your letter to reach Sanitas no later than 30 November. Use registered mail to obtain proof of receipt, because the date the insurer receives your letter is what counts, not the date you send it.
The new fund is legally obliged to admit you to basic insurance, with no reservations and no health questionnaire. Make sure, however, that your new contract starts exactly on 1 January to avoid any gap in mandatory coverage. Until you receive confirmation of membership, keep all your proof of sending and receipt.
Leaving the LCA supplementary cover untouched
If your Sanitas supplementary cover suits you, simply do nothing: it continues independently of the basic plan. No action is needed to keep it when you change fund for the basic plan alone. Just make sure your cancellation letter explicitly names only the basic insurance, to avoid any ambiguity on the Sanitas side.
Be careful in the reverse case: keeping a supplementary policy with an insurer whose basic plan you are leaving is possible, but first weigh the value of having two points of contact. The supplementary cover follows its own general conditions, often with a different expiry date and notice period from the basic plan. Read your policy to find the exact date before any decision.
Often different deadlines
LCA supplementary contracts frequently provide for a multi-year term or an expiry on 31 December with a three-month notice period, meaning a letter expected by the end of September. These terms vary from one product to another: never assume the supplementary cover follows the same calendar as the basic plan. Confusing these dates is the main cause of rejected cancellations.
Checking the deadlines in your documents
Before writing to Sanitas, gather both policies and identify, for each, the expiry date and notice period stated. For the basic plan, the legal framework applies uniformly: 30 November, effect on 1 January. For the supplementary cover, only your contractual conditions apply; note the cut-off date and enter it in your calendar with a safety margin.
If your basic insurance premium has increased, you have an extraordinary right of cancellation, independent of the ordinary year-end deadline. This right does not automatically extend to the supplementary cover. So clearly separate the two contracts in all correspondence and, if necessary, send two separate letters for two cancellations with different logic.
Optimising deductible and model along the way
Changing fund for the basic plan is also a chance to review your deductible. For adults it ranges from 300 to 2500 CHF: a high deductible lowers the premium but increases your share when you need care, while a low deductible does the opposite. The 10% co-payment remains capped at 700 CHF per year for an adult, on top of the chosen deductible.
Alternative models (family doctor, telemedicine, care network) often reduce the premium by several percent compared with the standard model, in exchange for a defined first point of contact. These choices concern only the basic insurance and have no impact on your LCA supplementary cover, which keeps its own benefits regardless of the model selected.
Frequently asked questions
Can I leave Sanitas for the basic plan without losing my supplementary cover?
Yes. LAMal basic insurance and LCA supplementary cover are two legally separate contracts. You can cancel the basic plan by 30 November and transfer it to another fund while keeping your Sanitas supplementary cover. State clearly in your letter that you are cancelling the basic insurance only, to avoid any confusion.
Does the supplementary cover have the same deadline as the basic plan?
Not necessarily. The basic plan follows the legal framework: one-month notice, letter by 30 November, effect on 1 January. The supplementary cover follows its own general conditions, often with three months' notice and sometimes a multi-year term. Check your policy to find the exact date before taking any step.
Does a premium increase let me cancel both contracts?
A premium increase on basic insurance opens an extraordinary right of cancellation for that basic plan, outside the ordinary deadline. This right does not automatically apply to the LCA supplementary cover, which follows its own rules. Treat each contract separately and, if needed, send two distinct letters.