Abstract:

A market research report by the Swiss Consumer Protection Foundation (Konsumentenschutz), published on September 24, 2024, warns consumers about numerous dubious and misleading online health insurance comparison websites. The investigation identifies two primary types of problematic platforms: commercial portals like comparis.ch that present incomplete, biased results by default, likely favoring partner companies that pay commissions, and "sham" comparison sites that do not offer any comparison tool but instead function solely to harvest personal data for insurance brokering. The Foundation demands these sites either provide transparent, complete comparisons or be shut down, and recommends consumers use its own neutral tool or the official federal government portal (priminfo.ch) for reliable information.

Warning Issued Over Deceptive Swiss Health Insurance Comparison Websites

• Widespread Misleading Practices: The Swiss Consumer Protection Foundation (Konsumentenschutz) has found that many online portals promising to help consumers save on health insurance are incomplete or function as data collection schemes.
• Problem 1: Incomplete Commercial Comparisons: Prominent platforms such as comparis.ch, bonus.ch, and versicherung-schweiz.ch do not show all available insurance models and premiums in their standard view.
• Key Takeaway: These sites are believed to prioritize insurers with whom they have financial agreements, earning commissions on referrals. This practice prevents consumers from seeing a full market overview and may not lead to the best savings.
• Problem 2: "Sham" Comparisons for Data Harvesting: Numerous other websites (e.g., 1A-versichert.ch, kranken-kassen.ch) request personal and contact information but provide no actual premium comparison. Instead, they state the user will be contacted later.
• Key Takeaway: It is highly likely that the collected data is sold or used to broker insurance policies, especially lucrative supplementary insurance, without transparency about which companies the brokers represent.
• Call for Transparency and Action: Konsumentenschutz demands that these dubious platforms either offer a fully transparent and complete comparison or be taken offline. They will continue to monitor these sites and intervene where necessary.
• Recommended Trustworthy Alternatives: For a complete, neutral, and ad-free comparison, consumers are advised to use the tool from Konsumentenschutz (konsumentenschutz.ch/praemienvergleich) or the official government portal (priminfo.ch).