Supplemental health insurance is a product that is very much in demand: About one million Swiss are insured for semi-private hospital rooms through supplemental insurance, and half a million are insured for private rooms.
Supervision of health insurance is shared by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (SFOPH, within the Federal Department of Home Affairs), which is responsible for mandatory health insurance, and the Federal Office of Private Insurance (FOPI, within the Federal Department of Finance), which is responsible for supplemental health insurance. Private insurers are entirely subject to supervision by FOPI, and health insurance schemes are subject to supervision by FOPI with respect to supplemental insurances.
In contrast to social insurance, the benefits arising from voluntary supplemental health insurance are not stipulated by law. Accordingly, the offerings are extremely diverse: Around 1000 products with a wide range of benefits and premiums are currently on the market: In addition to supplemental hospital insurance and insurance for complementary treatments, these include daily sickness allowances and dental insurance.