Canton of Zug: Warning regarding high costs for hospital treatment abroad

The Canton of Zug will cover almost the entire hospital costs of its residents for inpatient treatment in Switzerland in 2026 and 2027. Specifically, the Canton pays 99% of the costs during this period, while compulsory health insurance pays the remaining 1%. Normally, the Canton’s share is 55% and that of the health insurance is 45%.

In 2026 and 2027, this change in the assumption of costs for temporary stays abroad (outside the EU/EFTA/UK) may have high cost implications for policyholders.

This is because the Canton does not pay for inpatient treatment abroad, and for emergency treatments, health insurance companies pay a maximum of twice what they would pay for a treatment in Switzerland. For the duration of the above-mentioned regulation, this amounts to only 2% in the special case of the Canton of Zug; the remaining 98% of the total costs are to be borne by the insured party.

If you are planning a stay abroad outside the EU/EFTA countries or the United Kingdom, we therefore strongly recommend that you take out travel health insurance or supplementary hospital insurance to protect yourself from the financial consequences of emergency treatment abroad. Border commuters must take out such insurance in their country of residence.