Screening and check-ups

Please note: if you have certain risk factors, these recommendations may differ from the general guidelines and the intervals may be shorter.

Risk factors include, for example:

• Lack of exercise, unhealthy or poorly balanced diet, being underweight or overweight, frequent sun exposure
• Nicotine dependence, excessive alcohol consumption, consumption of drugs or medications
• Exposure to sexually transmitted diseases or diseases transmitted via drug use
• A history of specific illnesses
• A cluster of certain diseases in the family
• Exposure to risk factors at home or work
• Mental health problems
• Inadequate vaccination status

Since there are many individual risk factors, it is important to discuss them with your doctor. During this discussion, you can talk about your personal situation and your doctor will adapt their recommendations on this basis.

There is no scientific evidence for the benefit of periodic health checks in people who are displaying no signs of illness. The Harding Center for Risk Literacy, in Germany, has therefore developed a large number of fact boxes to explain the advantages and disadvantages of medical check-ups in an understandable way.

Avoiding unnecessary exams

It is important to check on a case-by-case basis whether a preventive examination has a concrete medical benefit. This helps to reduce the risk of false positives, i.e. a test result which incorrectly indicates that a person has a particular disease. Such false-positive results lead to over-diagnosis, unnecessary treatment, stress and high costs.

Further information:

Harding Center for Risk Literacy (D) – fact boxes

• early detection of cancer and 
• prevention of cardiovascular disease
  
  

smarter medicine (CH) – against excessive and incorrect medical treatment (available in German and French)

• Top five list for patients

Cost coverage for preventive medical check-ups is regulated by law:

Basic insurance

• Mandatory health insurance (OKP/AOS/AOMS) covers the costs of check-ups for early detection of certain diseases and for preventive measures that will benefit insured persons who are at high risk. An important prerequisite is that the measures must be carried out or prescribed by doctors. The Federal law on health insurance (KVG/LAMal) defines which check-ups are covered by the health insurance in terms of gender and age. 
• Basic insurance does not cover preventive medical services that are performed in pharmacies or drug stores (e.g. blood pressure tests). For that reason, the costs of such check-ups must be borne by the patients.

Supplementary insurance

• The CONCORDIA supplementary insurance plams NATURA and NATURA^plus cover 90% of the costs of preventive medical measures (up to a maximum amount of CHF 500 per calendar year). 
• Prerequisites for cost coverage:  
  • The measures are carried out or prescribed by a doctor.
  • They are not instigated by third parties (e.g. authorities).
  • They are not standard benefits under mandatory health insurance.
  • The check-up does not detect any disease.   
    

Cantonal funding

• In addition, some cantons contribute towards the costs of colon and breast cancer prevention or cover them in full. 
• Find out more by checking the map of the cantonal programmes at www.swisscancerscreening.ch or ask your doctor at your next appointment.

Cost coverage for preventive and disease-related check-ups is regulated by law. Please contact your CONCORDIA agency for more information.