Compare every year before November 30
This is lever number one. Basic premiums, with benefits strictly identical by law, vary widely between insurers. Comparing each autumn and switching for January 1 (cancel by November 30) can save several hundred francs a year with no loss of cover.
Deductible and alternative model
Two settings strongly cut the premium. The deductible: with few medical costs, a high deductible (up to CHF 2,500) clearly lowers the premium. The alternative model (family doctor, HMO, Telmed) gives a discount in exchange for a defined first point of contact before specialists. Combined, these cut the bill significantly for a healthy person.
Subsidy and splitting base / supplementary
Check your right to the cantonal subsidy (premium reduction) based on income: many qualify without knowing. Finally, nothing forces you to keep base and supplementary with the same insurer: take the cheapest LAMal on one side and your supplementaries elsewhere, optimizing each separately.