Swisscare

According to the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance (KVG/LAMal), each person residing in Switzerland must take out health insurance or get insured by their legal representative within three months after taking up residence or after the birth of a child in Switzerland. Since the Swiss insurance obligation begins from the very first day of either arrival or birth in Switzerland, the start date of the insurance contract must coincide with that date.

For more information regarding health, accident and maternity insurance, please visit the website:

https://www.desk.usi.ch/en/health-insurance-students

In order to offer its students coming from a third state (non-EU/EFTA) the mandatory basic insurance coverage in case of illness, accident and maternity in accordance with the regulations set by the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance (KVG/LAMal) but at a much lower cost, the Università della Svizzera italiana has signed a collective agreement with Europäische Reiseversicherung (insurer) and Swisscare Switzerland AG (agent) for the introduction of the policy named “Swisscare Foreign Student Health Insurance Switzerland”, hereinafter called “Swisscare”.

Foreign students coming from an EU/EFTA country will have to request exemption via the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).

For more information visit the webpage: https://www.desk.usi.ch/en/health-insurance-students.

Non-EU students enrolled in a study program at the Faculty of Theology of Lugano (FTL), affiliated to USI, are currently not eligible for "Swisscare" insurance. However, they can join the Swiss private insurance (VVG/LCA) "Academic Care" and request the exemption from LAMal insurance. For further information, click here.

The “Swisscare” General insurance conditions (GIC) and Table of benefits can be accessed by clicking here.

A summary of the main coverage and exclusions is available here.

Please note that the only “Swisscare” insurance plan available for USI students is Standard.

Premium billing is carried out by Swisscare Switzerland AG. As a rule, premiums are billed by semester – i.e. every 6 months, covering the period from January to June and from July to December. Payments by installments are not allowed. The payment deadline is 30 days from the date of the invoice issue.

The costs of the Standard "Swisscare" insurance plan for USI students are the following:

• premium per insured: 99.00 CHF per month;
• discount of 10% for the group contract with USI: 9.90 CHF;
• final premium per insured: 89.10 CHF per month;
• deductible (franchise) per insured: 300.00 CHF per calendar year;
• co-payment of 10%: up to 700.00 CHF per calendar year.

The “Swisscare” insurance offer is valid for foreign students - primarily non-EU/EFTA citizens, who are enrolled in one of USI's Bachelor, Master or PhD programmes (excluding the faculty of Theology, see below), who have not yet turned 45, who hold the residence permit for the Canton of Ticino for study purposes (i.e., the one with the notation “soggiorno per formazione”) and who do not work in Switzerland.

Applications from EU/EFTA citizens and residents are accepted only if they do not have the right to obtain the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). In this case, they are required to submit a certificate issued by the competent authority of their country of residence specifying the reason(s) for the denial of the EHIC translated by a sworn translator into one of the Swiss national languages.

Non-EU students enrolled in a study program at the Faculty of Theology of Lugano (FTL), affiliated to USI, are currently not eligible for "Swisscare" insurance. However, they can join the Swiss private insurance (VVG/LCA) "Academic Care" and request the exemption from LAMal insurance. For further information, click here.

The exemption from Swiss compulsory health insurance - even thanks to “Swisscare” - can not be granted to:

• PhD students with an employment contract (holders of a residence permit for gainful employment);
• doctoral students and visiting researchers who are beneficiaries of a scholarship, awarded by either a Swiss or a foreign body, covering the tuition fees and living expenses.

They are subject to the compulsory health insurance in Switzerland in accordance with the Federal Law on Health Insurance (LAMal/KVG) starting from the day of their arrival in Switzerland and must take out an insurance policy as explained in the dedicated webpage.

It is possible to take out the “Swisscare” insurance and submit the related exemption request to the Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali (IAS) in Bellinzona within three months from the date of entry in Switzerland.

To do this, it will be necessary to bring the necessary documentation in due time to office 330 of the West Campus, main white building, where they will check the dossiers and forward them to the appropriate person.

Please proceed with the request even if you do not yet have a residence permit.

Late requests cannot be accepted and, after the legal deadline of three months from arrival, it is mandatory to insure in Switzerland with basic insurance (KVG/LAMal) for the entire duration of the stay.

If the relevant request is accepted, the exemption is granted until the expiry date of the residence permit. Therefore, the exemption request must be renewed annually by sending via email the front and back copy of the new residence permit to [email protected], who will be forwarding it to the IAS.

Registration must be done by completing the Swisscare online form for USI students.

Please note that, since the insurance obligation begins from the day of arrival in Switzerland, the start date of the "Swisscare" insurance contract must coincide with that date.

After completing the online application form, the student will receive from Swisscare Switzerland AG the e-mails containing:

• the link to activate the personal customer account and to download the MySwisscare App on the smartphone (through which is possible to change personal data, download the insurance policy, access the digital insurance card, pay premium bills, request reimbursement of medical expenses, search for doctors, etc.);
• the form TI 6.3A to request the exemption from the compulsory health insurance in Switzerland together with the list of documents to attach (USI enrollment certificate, front and back copy of the Swiss residence permit or another official document containing the date of entry in Ticino/Switzerland, copy of the "Swisscare" policy);
• the e-invoice for the payment of the first premiums by bank transfer (unless the insured chose to pay them by credit card already during the registration).

If you don’t find these e-mails in your Inbox, please check the messages in the Spam/Junk e-mail folder.

To complete the exemption request, the student must bring the following documents to office 330 of the West Campus (main white building) as soon as possible:

• The exemption form TI 6.3A duly filled and signed in original,
• USI enrollment certification,
• Swisscare insurance policy, which can be downloaded from the MySwisscare App,
• Copy of the residence permit for training purposes, if you have it already.
  • Otherwise, this must be sent via email to [email protected] as soon as it arrives.

In order to have sufficient time to check and, if necessary, correct and collect the missing documents, as well as to send the exemption request to the IAS within the aforementioned deadline, we invite you to register online at the latest after (approximately) two and a half months from the date of your arrival in Switzerland.

Please be aware that late requests cannot be accepted and, after the period of three months from the arrival has passed, it becomes necessary to take out Swiss compulsory health insurance (KVG/LAMal) for the entire duration of the stay.

The insured has a free choice of doctors and hospitals among the service providers recognized under KVG/LAMal, who are licensed to provide the necessary care services in the event of illness, accident or maternity in Switzerland.

The official and comprehensive list of doctors in Switzerland is available on the web site www.doctorfmh.ch/en.

Moreover, in the MySwisscare mobile App there is a "Find a Doctor" tab where the insured can easily look for a nearby doctor.

Please note that the “Swisscare” insurance is valid in Switzerland. When the insured is outside of Switzerland temporarily, the insurance provides coverage only in cases of emergency (excluding USA, Canada and Japan) and for a maximum of double the cost of the same treatment in the canton of residence in Switzerland.

Claims are managed by Europäische Reiseversicherungs (ERV).

The payment and the reimbursement of medical expenses are supposed to be made in the following way:

• inpatient treatments (hospital admission) - the insured person does not have to pay medical expenses in advance and the treating doctor must submit the request for cost reimbursement to the insurer's claims office before the start of treatment;
• outpatient treatments (no hospital admission), i.e. hospital emergency outpatient treatments, general practitioners, specialists, pharmacies, etc. - the insured person will have to pay medical fees in advance and afterwards can submit the request for reimbursement.

The insured person can submit the claim for reimbursement of medical expenses through his online customer account, by using the MySwissare iOS or Android App or by sending via e-mail to [email protected] the following documents:

• claim form;
• copy of the “Swisscare” insurance policy;
• short statement concerning the medical issue and the administered treatment;
• medical invoices and proof of their payment;
• bank account details.

It is possible to submit the medical claims anytime within five years after the occurrence of the event on which the obligation to provide benefits is based.

Once the request has been received, ERV will determine whether the insured is entitled to the reimbursement of the medical expenses incurred - i.e., if the health services received are covered by his policy (see the GICs) and, if so, will proceed with the payment of the due amount to the insured (after deducing the annual deductible and the co-payment).

The reimbursement process normally takes between 3 and 5 weeks.

Please note that USI will not release neither the enrollment certificate nor the diploma at the end of the studies to students who haven't paid off all their debts.

It is possible to benefit from the “Swisscare” insurance coverage, at the earliest, from the day of the insured person’s entry in Switzerland and, at the latest, until the insured student:

• ended his/her studies (graduation, withdrawal, “ex-officio” de-registration or exclusion from the studies),
• left the Canton of Ticino,
• has started a gainful employment,
• has started family reunification (e.g., marriage to a Swiss citizen or a foreign citizen residing in Switzerland),
• turns 45,
• reached 6 years of exemption,
• no longer meets the criteria for exemption.

Please note that the event that determines the cancellation of this insurance policy is the one which occurs first.

To terminate the Swisscare insurance policy, it will be necessary to send to [email protected] a copy of the relevant documentation listed below, so that it can be transmitted to the insurance company to conclude the contract:

• the day on which the insured has left the Canton of Ticino, either permanently, or to follow a compulsory internship, or a period of mobility in another Canton (if a change to the residence permit is requested):

• the departure must be notified to both the Residents' Registration Office of the municipality - Ufficio Controllo abitanti (for those residing in the Municipality of Lugano, the office in charge is called Puntocittà) 
• to the Migration office in Bellinzona

Both documents have to be sent to [email protected] or delivered to office 330 of the main white building of the West Campus.

• the day preceding the day on which the insured has started a gainful employment (internship or work) which is not mandatory for the completion of the studies:
  • it is necessary to submit a copy of the employment contract and
  • copy of the document named “Assunzione d’impiego” with which the Migration Office authorized him/her to start working).

• the day preceding the day on which the insured has started family reunification (e.g., marriage to a Swiss citizen or a foreign citizen residing in Switzerland):
  • in this case, it is necessary to submit a copy of the civil status record.

Besides paying timely the "Swisscare" insurance premiums and the medical expenses, the insured student must inform both USI ([email protected]) and Swisscare Switzerland AG ([email protected]) of any relevant changes, such as:

• change of address;
• issue, renewal, modification or revocation of the residence permit;
• end of studies;
• definitive departure from the Canton of Ticino;
• start of a gainful employment;
• change of marital status;
• any other changes relevant to insurance coverage.

For further information about the health insurance system in Switzerland and for the latest COVID-19 updates, please consult the following pages:

• Swisscae FAQs
• Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance (KVG/LAMal)
• Swiss Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV/OAMal)
• Swiss Federal Office of Public Health FOPH - Home page
• Swiss Federal Office of Public Health FOPH - The compulsory health insurance system guide
• Swiss Federal Office of Public Health FOPH - Coronavirus
• ch.ch Easy answers about life in Switzerland - Health
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• COVID-19 campus protection provisions and the organisation of the academic semester at USI

Policy Management

SWISSCARE Switzerland AG
Customer Care Unit
Morgenstrasse 129
3018 Bern

tel.: +41 58 523 00 40
fax: +41 58 523 00 41
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.swisscare.com

Claims Management

Europäische Reiseversicherung (ERV)
Zweigniederlassung der Helvetia Schweizerische Versicherungsgesellschaft AG
Swisscare Claims Management
St. Alban-Anlage 56
Postfach
4002 Basel

tel.: +41 58 275 27 27
fax: +41 58 275 27 30
e-mail: [email protected]

Emergency Assistance 24/7

Out of office hours and only in cases of emergency, the Insured or his Representative can contact the following number:

tel.: +41 44 655 12 59

Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali

Settore obbligo assicurativo

Via C. Ghiringhelli 15a
6501 Bellinzona

tel.: +41 91 821 91 11

e-mail: [email protected]

website: www.iasticino.ch

USI

Vlasta Re
Elena Pedroni
Università della Svizzera italiana
Students Administration
Main Building
Office 330
Via Giuseppe Buffi 13
6900 Lugano

tel.: +41 58 666 4156

e-mail: [email protected]
web page: www.desk.usi.ch/en/swisscare