Medgate

What is Medgate?

Medgate is a private company based in Switzerland that offers telemedicine advice and treatment. According to the company, it has been running a telemedicine medical centre since 2000. Doctors advise patients by phone or in an app chat, issue prescriptions, referrals and medical certificates, and can be reached around the clock. According to the company portrait, the majority shareholder is the Otto Group, headquartered in Hamburg.

For health insurance, Medgate matters mainly as a partner of health insurers. Many insurers offer a telemedicine model (Telmed model) in basic health insurance. If you choose it, you commit to calling a telemedicine centre first whenever you have a health problem. Medgate is one of these centres; another is Sante24, for example. Which centre applies to you depends on your model. According to the company, Medgate launched Switzerland’s first telemedicine model with partners in 2003.

Medgate is neither a health insurer nor an authority. The company provides medical services, and the health insurer pays for them under basic health insurance or the model. In everyday language, the name is often used as a synonym for telemedicine, but it is a brand.

How it works

In a telemedicine model, the route to treatment works like this:

1. Call or app. Before you see a doctor, you contact the telemedicine centre of your model.
2. Medical assessment. A doctor assesses your symptoms by phone or chat.
3. Recommendation. The doctor advises you on self-treatment, issues a prescription or refers you to a GP, a specialist or a hospital.
4. Treatment. You go for treatment in line with the recommendation. The health insurer pays according to the rules of basic health insurance.

Each health insurer sets its own exceptions, for example for emergencies. The list is in the conditions of your model. The statutory mandatory benefits always remain insured; only the route to them is restricted.

The co-payment consisting of the deductible and the 10% retention fee applies in the telemedicine model just as in the standard model. However, in a model with a restricted choice, the health insurer may waive the deductible and the retention fee in full or in part, for example for certain services.

Legal basis

There is no specific law for Medgate as a company. What matters legally is the insurance model in which health insurers use telemedicine centres. Under Art. 41 para. 4 of the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG), insured persons can, in agreement with the health insurer, restrict their choice to service providers that the insurer selects for more cost-effective care. The insurer then only has to pay for services provided or ordered by these service providers. The statutory mandatory benefits are insured in every case.

Art. 62 para. 1 KVG allows health insurers to reduce the premium for such models. Art. 99 of the Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV) states that in these models the insurer may waive the deductible and the retention fee in full or in part. Under Art. 100 para. 2 KVV, you can switch to a model with a restricted choice at any time; under Art. 100 para. 3 KVV, you can switch back or to another health insurer at the end of a calendar year. Art. 101 para. 2 KVV only allows premium reductions for cost differences that result from the restricted choice; without five years of experience figures, the premium may be at most 20% below the standard premium (Art. 101 para. 3 KVV).

Example: Telemedicine model versus standard model

Jonas is 36, lives in the city of Bern and is considering switching from the standard model to a telemedicine model. Premiums 2026, municipality of Bern (region 1), adults born in 1990, deductible CHF 300, with accident cover; source: FOPH. The table shows the median of all offers per model group.

What this means for you

A telemedicine model suits you if you are prepared to call or use the app before every visit to a doctor and do not want to keep a regular GP. These questions will help you:

1. Do you have a GP you want to keep? Then the GP model may suit you better.
2. Can you stick to the rules? If you forget to call, you risk the health insurer not paying.
3. How big is the discount with your health insurer? The difference varies considerably. The premium calculator shows you all models in your municipality with the official FOPH premiums.
4. When do you want to switch? You can switch to a telemedicine model at any time, but back to the standard model only at the end of the year. The deadlines are listed under deadlines.

We are building the model finder so that you can compare the standard, GP, HMO and telemedicine models with your own details. You will find key figures on the health insurers under health insurers.

Common mistakes

• Thinking Medgate is a health insurer. Medgate is a medical service provider. Your health insurer and your policy stay the same.
• Forgetting to call before seeing a doctor. In the telemedicine model it is compulsory, except in the cases excluded by the conditions.
• Looking only at the discount. A model only saves you money if you can stick to its rules in everyday life.
• Believing fewer benefits are insured in the telemedicine model. The mandatory benefits are the same; only access is restricted.

How we evaluate premiums is explained under how we calculate.