Finding a therapist and covering the costs of alternative medicine
The basic insurance only covers a few alternative medicine methods. For most of them, you need an outpatient supplementary insurance, such as plus or premium. You can find out here which methods of alternative medicine Sympany will contribute to, together with the amount. Important: You can only claim for the methods in the extended list with a natura supplement.
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Please check in our list of alternative therapies whether the desired method is covered by your insurance product and how high the contributions are before undergoing treatment.
Alternative medicine methods
Recognised methods
- alternativ kolping: 75% of the costs, max. CHF 7,000.– per calendar year
- general supplement: max. CHF 70.– per hour, max. CHF 3,000.– per calendar year
- plus: 50% of the costs, max. CHF 3,000.– per calendar year
- plus natura: 80% of the costs, max. CHF 6,000.– per calendar year
- plus kolping: 90% of the costs (max. CHF 150.– per hour), max. CHF 1,200.– per calendar year
- premium: 50% of the costs, max. CHF 6,000.– per calendar year
- premium natura: 80% of the costs, max. CHF 10,000.– per calendar year
- private supplement: max. CHF 100.– per hour, max. CHF 6,000.– per calendar year
Please also see the Information on cost coverage >
- Acupressure
- Acupuncture
- Acupuncture massage
- Alexander technique
- Anthroposophical medicine
- Aquatic bodywork
- Art therapy
- Autohaemotherapy/Self-blood therapy
- Autogenic training
- Baunscheidtism
- Chinese medication therapy
- Colon cleansing
- Colon massage
- Compresses/wraps
- Craniosacral therapy
- Cupping
- Dance therapy
- Dorn therapy / Dorn/Breuss spinal column therapy (only by medical masseur or naturopath with additional qualification)
- Drama therapy
- Ear acupuncture
- Electroacupuncture
- Electrotherapy
- Etiopathy
- Eurythmy therapy
- Fango
- Feldenkrais method
- Figure play therapy
- Foot reflex zone message
- Homoeopathy
- Hydrotherapy
- Intermedial therapy
- Kinesiology
- Kneipp therapy
- Laser acupuncture
- Leech therapy
- Manual lymphatic drainage
- Massage techniques (only by medical masseur or naturopath)
- Movement and body therapy
- Moxibustion
- Music therapy
- Nutritional therapy
- Osteopathy
- Painting therapy
- Pharmacotherapy/medication therapy
- Phlebotomy
- Phytotherapy
- Purging procedure
- Qi-Gong
- Reflexology massage
- Regulation therapy
- Rhythmic massage
- Shiatsu
- Spagyric therapy
- Spiral dynamics (only by therapists with Diploma Level Advanced)
- Tai-Chi
- Therapeutic sculptural design
- Therapeutic speech formation
- Tui-Na/An-Mo
Advanced methods
- alternativ kolping: 75% of the costs, max. CHF 7,000.– per calendar year
- plus natura: 50% of the costs, max. CHF 1,000.– per calendar year
- plus kolping: 90% of the costs (max. CHF 150.– per hour), max. CHF 1,200.– per calendar year
- premium natura: 50% of the costs, max. CHF 2,000.– per calendar year
- private supplement: max. CHF 50.– per hour, max. CHF 1,000.– per calendar year
Please also see the Information on cost coverage >
- Asian body and energy work
- Ayurveda massage
- Ayurveda therapy
- Connective tissue massage
- Hematogenic oxidation therapy
- Hippotherapy/Therapeutic riding
- Neural therapy
- Ozone therapy
- Polarity
- Psycho-zone massage
- Respiration therapy
- Rolfing/Structural integration
Remedies
Remedies/medicinal herbs (prescribed/dispensed by a medical practitioner, naturopath, homoeopath or TCM therapist)
- alternativ kolping: 90% of the costs, max. CHF 7,000.– per calendar year
- general supplement: 90% of the costs, max. CHF 3,000.– per calendar year
- plus: 80% of the costs, max. CHF 3,000.– per calendar year
- plus natura: 80% of the costs, max. CHF 6,000.– per calendar year
- plus kolping: max. CHF 2,000.– per calendar year
- premium: 80% of the costs, max. CHF 6,000.– per calendar year
- premium natura: 80% of the costs, max. CHF 10,000.– per calendar year
- private supplement: 90% of the costs, max. CHF 6,000.– per calendar year
Please also see the Information on cost coverage >
Information on the assumption of costs
- Sympany contributes to the costs of complementary medicine insofar as the treatment is medically necessary, effective, purposeful, economical and performed by one of our recognised service providers.
- The alternative services are charged at the maximum overall limit for alternative medicine. The total limit for your outpatient supplementary insurance can be found in the General Insurance Provisions (AVB) and the Special Provisions (BB).
- If the treatment is of long duration, Sympany will assess its obligation to pay benefits using a questionnaire. Once your therapist has filled in the questionnaire, we will be able to make a quick assessment of the cost contribution going forward.
- The alternative medical treatment of the therapist’s own family members is not insured.
- Alternative therapies that are carried out as part of a holiday or other longer (e.g. spa-like) stays are not covered.
- The methods in the list are reviewed annually and may be adapted accordingly.
FAQs on alternative medicine
Alternative medicine and complementary medicine include physical therapy procedures, naturopathy and treatment methods, such as homoeopathy, acupuncture and anthroposophic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine.
Some alternative medicine methods are covered by the basic insurance. The outpatient supplementary insurances plus and premium contribute to the costs of numerous recognised methods. For methods on the extended method list, plus natura or premium natura are necessary.
Basic insurance covers treatments in
- acupuncture,
- anthroposophic medicine,
- traditional Chinese medicine (TCM),
- classic homoeopathy and
- phytotherapy (herbal medicine).
But only if the treatment is medically necessary and administered by a doctor (Dr. med.). You contribute to the costs with the franchise and deductible. Doctors are not displayed in the therapist search.
The methods of alternative medicine and complementary medicine are frequently the same. In particular, the difference lies in the application of the methods:
- The word “complementary” means “supplementary”. This means that complementary medicine supplements the therapy of conventional or evidence-based medicine.
- Alternative medicine is applied instead of conventional or evidence-based medicine.
The terms are frequently used synonymously or even confused, because – apart from the methods – they have one essential thing in common: while evidence-based medicine (also called conventional medicine) frequently considers and treats individual symptoms or organic changes, health is considered holistically in alternative and complementary medicine: it looks for the background of an illness and takes into account the personal circumstances as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the patient.
The treatment methods of conventional medicine have been scientifically researched. Many complementary and alternative medicine therapies, on the other hand, are based only on experience reports and placebo effects, and there is frequently no convincing information base for effectiveness.
Information for therapists
Sympany only accepts invoices that are settled with Tariff 590. Please use the standardised invoice form, as Sympany cannot cover any benefits otherwise.
FAQ on tariff 590 and the complementary medicine billing standard (in German)