Have your medication delivered
You can have your medication delivered to your home quickly and securely. Many pharmacies offer this kind of delivery service. Invoices are processed directly through Sympany in the usual way. If you are ordering prescription medication, you will need a valid prescription. Ideally, you should submit this to the pharmacy when you place your order. However, your doctor can send it to the pharmacy too.
Pharmacies offering home delivery
Of course, you still have the option of collecting prescribed medication from the pharmacy in person.
FAQs regarding medication
The costs of medication obtained abroad are only covered by basic insurance in the event of an emergency and provided you are staying abroad temporarily. Up to double the amount of the costs that would have been covered by insurance in Switzerland may be reimbursed – less the franchise and deductible.
This rule also applies to border commuters who are insured in Switzerland and are subject to a bilateral agreement. Within the context of your right to choose your place of treatment, the customary local legal requirements shall apply if you obtain medication abroad.
As a basic principle, basic insurance is not intended to pay for services obtained abroad. The same applies to medication purchased abroad. The Federal Office of Public Health has instructed insurers to strictly comply with this statutory provision.
There are some medications and preparations that are not covered by basic insurance or supplementary outpatient insurance, so you would have to pay for them yourself. You can find more details about this here (in German).
Supplementary insurance – such as Sympany’s plus and premium supplementary outpatient insurance – contributes towards the costs of natural remedies or medication that is not included in the specialities list. These are officially approved medications, but they are not covered by basic insurance.
Medication that is not on the specialities list also needs to be prescribed by a doctor in order to claim any contribution from supplementary insurance. Your doctor will be happy to provide information on whether a prescribed medication is covered.
A cost contribution (franchise and deductible) is payable for medication just as it is for inpatient or outpatient treatment:
- The deductible for generics is 10%.
- If you buy the original branded preparation despite a generic option being available, the deductible will be 40%.
- If a branded preparation is absolutely the only suitable option for medical reasons, the deductible will be 10%.
Branded preparations are patented. Once the patent has expired, imitation products (generics) based on this preparation may be produced. These generics contain the proven active ingredients of the original, but they are cheaper.
By opting for a generic product, you are actively helping to curb the increase in healthcare costs.
Basic insurance covers the costs – less the franchise and deductible – of medication that has been prescribed by a doctor and is included in the list of speciality medication. These medications are deemed to be necessary medications.
If the pharmacist produces a drug that has been prescribed by a doctor at the pharmacy itself, the costs of this will also be covered by the basic insurance.