Menu
The information on this page is not a complete source of information regarding PrEP in general. For more information in that regard please use one of the links listed here.
To have the costs for HIV PrEP covered by compulsory health insurance, you must meet four conditions:
Your healthcare professional is authorised to bill through health insurance.
You must come under one of the three defined groups (in accordance with the Federal Ordinance):
Individuals who have sex without a condom with partners who live with HIV and whose viral load is not below the detection limit.
PrEP might still be a good option for you individually – talk to a healthcare professional about it. However, you would need to fully cover the costs yourself in this case.
The costs for PrEP consist of the medication itself, medical services and laboratory analyses.
If PrEP is taken daily, these costs amount to approximately CHF 2,000 to CHF 2,500 per year. The costs – minus the cost-sharing components – are covered by the health insurer.
No. HIV PrEP is covered under basic insurance, which means every health insurer has to pay for it if you meet the criteria.
Generally speaking, yes. However, not all doctors offer the option of paying for treatment yourself.
All medical services in Switzerland are associated with certain costs – and this also includes PrEP. Cost-sharing is comprised of three components:
Retention fee: Once you have paid your deductible, you will be charged 10% of your healthcare costs on an ongoing basis, up to a maximum of CHF 700 per year.
Possibly. Often, the lowest deductible makes the most sense financially: If HIV PrEP is taken daily, the costs can amount to as much as CHF 2,500. If you have other healthcare expenses on top of this (e.g. STI treatment, psychotherapy, pneumonia), choosing the lowest deductible definitely pays off – even if it means a higher monthly premium.
In any case, choose either the lowest (CHF 300) or the highest (CHF 2,500) deductible – with anything in between, you’ll be financially worse off. You have until 30 November each year to adjust your deductible for the following year.
That’s not an ideal situation. In Switzerland, everyone is required to have health insurance by law.
If you have health insurance abroad, you can find out whether it covers the costs of PrEP in Switzerland.
You can cover the PrEP costs in full yourself. In some cities, there are specialist health services for people who don’t have health insurance.
There are counselling centres for undocumented migrants (“sans papiers”) on the subject of health insurance.
For sex workers, some sexual health centres offer special conditions.
That’s tricky under the Swiss system. But there are certainly ways to prevent your parents from finding out. Health insurance companies are bound by law – data protection and medical confidentiality also apply to you in relation to your own parents.
You can get anonymous and free advice from a sexual health centre, and we can also help you talk to your parents about your situation.
If your healthcare professional is not affiliated with SwissPrEPared, there are three options:
You switch to a SwissPrEPared centre. For individuals under the general practitioner (GP) model, the telemedicine model or a similar model, a permanent referral is required.
No, your participation in SwissPrEPared does not affect whether the PrEP costs will be covered. Even so, only medical practices, hospitals or healthcare centres affiliated with SwissPrEPared can bill through health insurance.
Your personal data collected by SwissPrEPared is not shared.
However, for cost coverage purposes, your health insurer may check with your healthcare professional whether you come under one of the eligible groups and, if so, which one. The corresponding information may be shared with the health insurer. Such medical information may only be passed on to the trust medical service. The health insurance company only receives the information that you are taking PrEP.
Yes, because social services only pay costs for which a bill can be provided, and the name of the medication appears on the bill. This information, however, must not be used or disclosed under any circumstances. It is protected by strict data privacy laws. If you have any questions or issues, you can contact the legal advice service of the Swiss AIDS Federation.
The SwissPrEPared program is inteded to improve medical care for PrEP users and people interested in PrEP. Moreover, the program intends to implement medical guidelines for health care professionals, keep them up to date with the current PrEP science and provide trainings on PrEP. Before each visit PrEP users are asked to answer a questionnaire, so no important information is missed during the counselling session with the health care worker. Participants of the SwissPrEPared program have access to reduced fares for medication. In certain centers clients with low income can apply for financial incentives for clinical follow-up visits. Within the study SwissPrEPared will collect data from the questionnaire to determine the influence of PrEP in Switzerland. The data will be saved anonymously. For the use of this data an informed consent is needed from participants.
To participate in the SwissPrEPared program, you can contact one of our study centers and set up a first consultation. Our centers and their contact information are listed under Nearest Centers.
Anyone who is over 16 years old and HIV-negative may participate in SwissPrEPared. You should also be interested in PrEP – but that doesn’t mean that you have to take it.
Current SwissPrEPared affiliated centres, as well as future centres, are listed under Nearest Centers.
Currently, we offer the program in German, English, French and Italian.
Yes, trans people can also participate.
Yes, women can also participate.
Everyone using PrEP should consider clinical visits on a regular base. Also, people who are not using PrEP and have changing sexual partners should consider clinical visits to test for STD’s on a regular base.
In order to postpone a clinical visit, get in touch with the your center. The corresponding questionnaire can easily be postponed in a link received by SMS. In the same SMS you also have the option to terminate your participation in the program.
Yes, you can change your center during the course of the study. For more information, contact your current center.
For people using the daily PrEP a 3-montly clinical follow-up visit is recommended. If PrEP is not used on a daily base, frequency of clinical follow-up visits can differ and should be discussed directly with your treating physician.
Yes, some centers offer financial support programs for people with lower income. For more information, we recommend to ask your center directly.
When someone is infected with HIV, the transmission occurs via mucous membranes. This is where the HI-Virus enters the body. You already have a natural protection in the mucous membrane of your mouth, which is why practically no HIV infections occur during oral sex. With the mucous membranes in the penis, the vagina and the anus; you must protect yourself with condoms or PrEP. With PrEP there are two variants for the start and the finish. The variant which suits you, depends on your physical characteristics. You can find out more about this in a counselling session. In order for PrEP to work and to make sure that you are protected from HIV; you must start with PrEP on time. It is equally important that you take PrEP for a long enough period after the last time you had sex.
If you answer Yes to one of the following questions; then PrEP is maybe a protective option for you: – Do you have difficulties using condoms when having sex? Or do your sex partners have trouble using a condom due to erection problems or pain?
– Do you often have sex under the influence of alcohol or other drugs?
– Do you have sex for money and hold back from using a condom at the request of the customer?
– Do you forget to use a condom every now and then, but at the same time don’t want to feel guilty about it?
-Do you have a period of time ahead involving a lot of sex (a holiday for example) and are you unsure as to whether you will always use a condom?
– Are you unprotected from HIV as a result of your sexual preferences? Can you not rely on your sex partner(s)?
You can find out more in a counselling session. You are not making a decision such as this forever. You can reconsider it at any time.
PrEP is prescribed by a healthcare professional. Recommended are professionals who meet with the SwissPrEPared criteria. Before starting PrEP, a medical consultation takes place. HIV and STI tests are carried out and further blood levels are also checked. It is important that you are HIV-negative. If not, there is a danger of infecting other people and developing resistance. Once you have started with PrEP, you should have regular check-ups to see if you are experiencing any side effects; you should also have a STI test. This is why it is worth having a regular discussion with a healthcare professional. The PrEP is usually very well tolerated, even when taken over a longer period of time. The costs depend on a number of factors. Make sure you get advice. A solution can be found.
New centers, especially in unrepresented cantons and areas, are continually taken into consideration.
Interested general practitioners and clinics can get in touch with us and apply to become an affiliated center via the contact form.