Switzerland's health system has its own vocabulary — and it runs in four official languages (German, French, Italian, Romansh). This article covers the essential terms across the two main health service languages (German and French), with Italian for Ticino, plus the insurance concepts that shape how everything works.
The Health System
Understanding Swiss health insurance vocabulary is non-negotiable. The system is genuinely different from both the NHS model and most continental systems, and the terminology directly affects your decisions.
| Purpose | German Term | French Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory Health Insurance | KVG | LAMal | The mandatory basic insurance that every resident in Switzerland must hold. Covers the core benefits package. |
| Deductible | Franchise | Franchise | The annual amount you pay out-of-pocket before your insurance starts contributing. Most young people choose the maximum (2,500 CHF) to reduce monthly premiums. |
| Copayment | Selbstbehalt | Quote-part | After your franchise is met, you pay 10% of remaining costs — capped at 700 CHF per year. |
| Supplementary Insurance | Zusatzversicherung | Assurance complémentaire | Optional additional coverage beyond LAMal. Highly variable between insurers. |
| The official fee schedule | Tarmed | Tarmed | Doctors and hospitals use it to bill insurance. Tarmed rates are higher than cash prices at Checkpoints. |
| Anonymous Testing | Anonymer Test | Dépistage anonyme | Testing at a Checkpoint paid for in cash, not billed to your insurance company. Results are not tied to your identity. |
| Nominal / Named Testing | Nominaler Test | Test nominal | Testing billed to your insurance under your name. Covered by insurance, but triggers the deductible. |
Key Institutions
| Purpose | German Term | French Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The community-run sexual health clinics | Checkpoint | Checkpoint | Your primary access point for testing, vaccination, PrEP enrolment, and counselling. Present in Zürich, Geneva, Lausanne/Vaud, and Bern. |
| The national Swiss AIDS and sexual health umbrella organisation | Aids-Hilfe Schweiz | Aide Suisse contre le Sida | The Checkpoints operate under the auspices of the regional member organisations. aids.ch |
| Geneva's primary LGBTQ+ and gay health organisation | Dialogai | Dialogai | Operates Checkpoint Genève and provides counselling, community events, and health advocacy for French-speaking Switzerland. dialogai.org |
| Switzerland's national gay men's organisation | Pink Cross | Pink Cross | Advocates on LGBTQ+ rights and health policy. pinkcross.ch |
| The major cantonal university hospitals | Universitätsspital | Hôpital Universitaire | Where you go for PEP, complex STI treatment, and HIV specialist care. (USZ, HUG, CHUV, Inselspital, USB). |
| Switzerland's federal public health authority | Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG) | Office fédéral de la santé publique (OFSP) | Sets national vaccination recommendations, drug approval, and health guidelines. |
Key Phrases
Getting Tested
| Purpose | German Term | French Term |
|---|---|---|
| Full STI screen | "Ich möchte eine vollständige Geschlechtskrankheiten-Untersuchung." | "Je voudrais un dépistage complet des IST." |
| Three-site testing | "Ich brauche auch einen Rachen- und Rektalabstrich." | "J'ai besoin d'un prélèvement pharyngé et rectal aussi." |
| Anonymous testing | "Ich möchte anonym testen." | "Je voudrais un test anonyme." |
| PrEP monitoring | "Ich bin auf PrEP und brauche meine Dreimonatskontrolle." | "Je suis sous PrEP et j'ai besoin de mon contrôle trimestriel." |
Insurance and Cost
| Purpose | German Term | French Term |
|---|---|---|
| "My deductible is 2,500" | "Ich habe eine Franchise von 2500 CHF." | "J'ai une franchise de 2500 CHF." |
| "Will this go to insurance?" | "Geht das über die Krankenkasse?" | "Est-ce que ça passe par l'assurance?" |
| "Can I pay cash?" | "Kann ich bar bezahlen?" | "Je peux payer en espèces?" |
Starting PrEP
| Purpose | German Term | French Term |
|---|---|---|
| "I want to start PrEP" | "Ich möchte mit PrEP beginnen." | "Je voudrais commencer la PrEP." |
| "SwissPrEPared enrolment" | "Ich möchte mich für SwissPrEPared anmelden." | "Je voudrais m'inscrire à SwissPrEPared." |
Needing PEP
| Purpose | German Term | French Term |
|---|---|---|
| At A&E triage | "Ich hatte ein HIV-Risiko und brauche PEP." | "J'ai eu un risque VIH et j'ai besoin d'une PEP." |
| Full sentence | "Ich hatte vor [X] Stunden eine Hochrisiko-HIV-Exposition." | "J'ai eu une exposition à haut risque au VIH il y a [X] heures." |
| Accident classification | "Kann dies als Unfall eingestuft werden?" | "Est-ce que ça peut être classé comme accident?" |
Italian (Ticino)
| Purpose | Italian Term |
|---|---|
| HIV risk / PEP | "Ho avuto un rischio HIV e ho bisogno della PEP." |
| Full STI screen | "Vorrei uno screening completo per le malattie sessualmente trasmissibili." |
| Emergency department | "Pronto soccorso" |
General
| Purpose | German Term | French Term |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" | "Parlez-vous anglais ?" |
| I need help | "Ich brauche Hilfe!" | "J'ai besoin d'aide !" |
| Call an ambulance | "Rufen Sie den Notruf 144!" | "Appelez le 144 !" |
Emergency Numbers
| Number | Service |
|---|---|
| 144 | Medical emergency / ambulance (all Switzerland) |
| 117 | Police |
| 143 | Die Dargebotene Hand / La Main Tendue — crisis line, 24/7 |
| 112 | Pan-European emergency (also works in Switzerland) |
Quick Reference
| Purpose | German Term | French Term |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory basic health insurance | KVG | LAMal |
| Deductible — amount you pay before insurance contributes | Franchise | Franchise |
| Copayment — 10% after franchise, max 700 CHF/year | Selbstbehalt | Quote-part |
| Official billing fee schedule | Tarmed | Tarmed |
| Pre-exposure prophylaxis (HIV prevention) | PrEP | PrEP |
| Post-exposure prophylaxis (emergency HIV prevention) | PEP | PEP |
| Sexually transmitted infection | Geschlechtskrankheit | IST / MST |
| Federal Office of Public Health | BAG | OFSP |
| National PrEP cohort programme | SwissPrEPared | SwissPrEPared |
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