What health insurers spend on administration, advertising and brokers
On average, administering basic insurance costs CHF 193 per insured person per year (2024), around 5 % of the premium. Behind that are big differences: from CHF 129 at sodalis to CHF 285 at Atupri. In 2025, all insurers together spent CHF 74m on advertising and CHF 33m on broker commissions.
Administrative costs per insurer
Insurers with at least 50'000 insured persons, per insured person per year. Administration 2024 with change since 2018, advertising and commissions 2025, plus the solvency ratio (reserves relative to the legal minimum) and the score in the Price Consistency Rating.
| Insurer | Administration 2024 | since 2018 | Advertising 2025 | Commissions 2025 | Solvency | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sodalis ² | CHF 129 | +22 % | CHF 3 | CHF 0 | 133 % | 3.3 |
| CSS | CHF 156 | +33 % | CHF 6 | CHF 3 | 126 % | 6.1 |
| Agrisano | CHF 159 | +14 % | CHF 5 | CHF 0 | 166 % | 8.6 |
| Aquilana | CHF 160 | +0 % | CHF 8 | CHF 0 | 147 % | 4.0 |
| EGK | CHF 161 | −52 % | CHF 0 | CHF 1 | 132 % | 5.0 |
| Concordia | CHF 165 | +4 % | CHF 9 | CHF 0 | 210 % | 9.1 |
| Helsana | CHF 178 | −32 % | CHF 9 | CHF 5 | 138 % | 6.8 |
| KPT | CHF 190 | −9 % | CHF 14 | CHF 3 | 134 % | 8.4 |
| Philos ¹ | CHF 190 | +18 % | CHF 8 | CHF 2 | 136 % | 1.8 |
| Avenir ¹ | CHF 197 | +29 % | CHF 8 | CHF 2 | 123 % | 2.4 |
| Mutuel ¹ | CHF 204 | +14 % | CHF 9 | CHF 6 | 137 % | 2.7 |
| Swica | CHF 205 | +41 % | CHF 9 | CHF 2 | 130 % | 6.1 |
| sana24 | CHF 206 | +76 % | CHF 12 | CHF 3 | 129 % | 3.4 |
| Visana | CHF 212 | +58 % | CHF 12 | CHF 3 | 208 % | 4.9 |
| ÖKK | CHF 218 | +27 % | CHF 5 | CHF 18 | 124 % | 7.4 |
| Sanitas | CHF 224 | +8 % | CHF 8 | CHF 7 | 164 % | 7.9 |
| Vivao Sympany ¹ | CHF 228 | −9 % | CHF 6 | CHF 0 | 151 % | 4.8 |
| Galenos ² | CHF 236 | −5 % | CHF 14 | CHF 17 | 234 % | 4.4 |
| Assura ¹ | CHF 262 | +80 % | CHF 6 | CHF 5 | 106 % | 7.5 |
| Atupri | CHF 285 | +111 % | CHF 15 | CHF 4 | 139 % | 7.2 |
¹ No staff of its own: the insurer buys in its administration as a fee from a group or partner company. The total is comparable, but the group decides how it is split among its insurers. ² The figures date from a time when the insurer had fewer than 50'000 insured persons. It has since grown or merged with another insurer.
Advertising and brokers
Atupri spends the most on advertising per head: CHF 15 per insured person (2025). For broker commissions ÖKK leads, with CHF 18 per head. Practically no commissions, under CHF 2 per head two years running: Aquilana, Concordia, sodalis and Swica.
In basic insurance, commission is capped: at most CHF 70 per policy, binding on all insurers since 1 September 2024. This shows in the figures:
| Year | Advertising, CHF m | Commissions, CHF m |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 60.3 | 60.4 |
| 2021 | 62.4 | 48.1 |
| 2022 | 72.6 | 48.4 |
| 2023 | 80.0 | 59.0 |
| 2024 | 73.3 | 49.9 |
| 2025 | 74.1 | 32.6 |
Supplementary insurance is different: commissions of up to 16 monthly premiums are allowed there. More: why your adviser wants to sell you supplementary insurance.
Who has grown since 2018 and who saves
The largest increases in administrative costs per head: Atupri (+111 %), Assura (+80 %), sana24 (+76 %). Reduced them: EGK (−52 %), Helsana (−32 %), KPT (−9 %). The average of all insurers rose from CHF 168 to CHF 193.
Administration and reserves together
Reserves are the cushion an insurer uses to absorb expensive years without raising premiums straight away. Above-average administrative costs with a solvency ratio below 130 %: Avenir, ÖKK, Assura, sana24. That does not mean anything is wrong, but this is where there is least room for manoeuvre. Reserves count for 10 % of the price consistency score; administrative costs do not, because they are already in the price.
What does this mean for you?
Administration is only a small part of the premium, around 5 %. Between the leanest and the most expensive large insurer the gap is CHF 156 a year. Premium differences are usually much bigger. What matters is what you pay and whether the insurer stays cheap over the years.
Compare premiums →Sources: FOPH, supervisory data on compulsory health insurance (administrative costs per insured person, 2018 to 2024); FOPH, analyses of administrative costs (advertising and commissions, final annual accounts 2025); FOPH via priminfo.admin.ch, solvency ratios as of 1 January 2026. Advertising and commissions cover basic insurance only.