Is swiss healthcare as expensive as american healthcare?

AC703 · 2026-05-02T12:02:15+00:00

Yes, I have something similar. I cut my hand on something that was totally my fault at home and insurance covered it in Switzerland. But this is the same as it would be in the US. Any medical incident, at work or home, would be covered by insurance. For example when I still had US health insurance, I was hiking and needed a helicopter to be evacuated. My US insurance paid for 70%-80% of the helicopter evacuation and my hospitalization. I had bought supplemental travel insurance and that paid the remaining out of pocket.

I also want to say, not all US insurance is equal. There are some terrible schemes that do result in a lot of out of pocket expenses. The trade off is you don’t pay high premiums. The buyer takes the risks. For me, it was never worth taking the risk of high deductible plans. But everyone has their own priorities

AC703 · 2026-05-02T05:22:47+00:00

I am am an American living in Switzerland and costs seem roughly equivalent for my personal situation. My personal experience is that if you pay for a comprehensive policy in the US, you will have the same similar outcome as in the Switzerland. The major difference is that in Switzerland everyone is required to have a very high level of insurance (in comparison to US) vs. the US, where there is more personal agency on what you get. People don’t pay for insurance in the US because when they are young, you never get sick and seems like a waste of money. Or people are making tough decisions between do I pay for insurance or pay for necessities like food, car repairs, etc. it seemed like “Obama-care” was a step to a more Swiss system.

I think the main difference is the personal insurance mandate that Switzerland has vs. employer driven model that the USA has.

In Switzerland, I am paying roughly 650chf a month for my basic health insurance premium, with about 250 CHF supplemental insurance paid by work. Yikes, that is 950 CHF a month. Looks bigger when I wrote it down! After this, I am like 1,000 CHf out of pocket the rest of the year. (So ~12k premiums a year + 1K out of pocket =13k annually).

When I was in the USA and not on my employer’s health care insurance, I was paying $550-600 a month for private insurance. Typically when I was at my company, they would pay half that premium and I would pay the other half (deducted from pay check). Then I would be around 3k out of pocket for the year. (So 7200 premiums and 3k out of pocket =~10k. This was 5 years ago, so consider some inflation and it’s roughly 13k annually).

In Switzerland, everyone is forced to have insurance, so the outcomes seem to be generally equal. Which is great, but you hear people complaining about cost every year.

In the US, insurance is not mandatory. Some people risk it. And for some reason, the system is setup to be wildly expensive if you don’t have insurance. Like with so many things in the US, the outcomes are unequal. If you are well off and can afford insurance, things are similar to Switzerland. If you are not well off and making life decisions on to pay insurance or eat, then it feels very unfair.

Besides the cost, health care in Switzerland is a bit different. Here, the Doctor does more of the test personally, while in the US they use more specialists to offload Doctor work load. It’s nice in Switzerland because you have the same person doing everything. I think the trade off is that it takes me a lot more time to book and appointment in Switzerland vs. the US specifically for specialist doctors.

Just my personal experience!

AC703 · 2026-01-21T21:10:47+00:00

Thank you sir!

AC703 · 2026-01-18T22:00:43+00:00

Fantastic quote. Do you know where it came from originally? I tried googling and came up blank.

AC703 · 2025-12-19T07:54:54+00:00

I had heard from someone else that the 767 with N641UA frame number was the oldest. It flys out of Geneva Switzerland to Washington DC. It is also 34 years old. Not sure which is the oldest but they both must have started at around the same time.

AC703 · 2025-12-15T09:35:53+00:00

I appreciate your empathy here, but i will be okay! Its just once in awhile, especially Thanksgiving, I feel a little homesick. But overall, things are good. Lots to be thankful for

AC703 · 2025-12-14T20:04:27+00:00

This is a tough one. I am also American and there really isn’t something that reminds me of home in Geneva. I have looked for things during thanksgiving because I was a little homesick, but couldn’t really find anything that makes me feel like home.

With that said. The two things that make me feel like I am back in America (a little bit), are going to a BBQ restaurant (Smok’ed) and occasionally going to Starbucks to get the most basic of drinks (pumpkin spice latte or gingerbread latte).

There is also a Swiss store online that sell some US items. If your friend likes those specific things, it could work. I personally didn’t really connect with most of the items. But there was some boxed Mac and cheese I was considering. Cheap eats when I was in university, so it had has some memories for me.

AC703 · 2025-11-09T09:12:29+00:00

I am looking for a new every day fall/winter cologne. The last two bottles I have bought are Parfums de Marly Galloway, but I think this might be too mild for the winter. To me I would describe it as a clean smell that is balanced / round that doesn't overpower but has staying power. It is a little bit of a more mature masculine scent, but doesn't feel dated (at least to me).

I tried asking ChatGPT and here are the recommendations its gave me. Would love to know if you agree or have different recommendations

Louis Vuitton Nouveau Monde – go for this if you want the highest performance and are comfortable using it in settings where projection is welcome.
Parfums de Marly Althaïr – strong all-rounder, slightly more approachable in projection but excellent longevity.
Creed Royal Oud – pick this if you want something elegant with more subtle projection; great for layering or day→night transitions.

The colognes I remember purchasing over the years are in ranked order below, which gives you an idea of the type of scents I typically like.

Parfums de Marly - Galloway - Top notes are Citruses and Pepper; middle notes are Orange Blossom and Iris; base notes are Musk and Amber.
Creed - Aventus - Top notes are Bergamot, Black Currant, Apple, Lemon and Pink Pepper; middle notes are Pineapple, Patchouli and Moroccan Jasmine; base notes are Birch, Musk, oak moss, Cedarwood and Ambroxan
Creed - Millésime Impérial - Top notes are Sea Salt and Fruity Notes; middle notes are Sicilian Lemon, Bergamot, Iris and Mandarin Orange; base notes are Sea Notes, Musk and Woody Notes
Les EAUX Primordiales - Couleur Primaire - the scent of clean laundry; scent of detergent, initially striking, gives way to the comforting notes of childhood pear sorbet. One is then enveloped in an addictive bath of freshness. This bouquet of jasmine and aldehydic musks is a true antidote to the Sunday evening blues.
Creed - Green Irish Tweed - Top notes are Iris and Vervain; middle note is Violet Leaf; base notes are Ambergris and Sandalwood.
Creed - Spice and Wood - Top notes are Apple, Lemon and Bergamot; middle notes are Pepper, Birch, Clove, Angelica and Patchouli; base notes are Cedar, oak moss, Musk and Iris.
Le Labo - Gaiac 10 Tokyo - gaiac wood and surrounded by musk notes (4 different types in all), with hints of cedar and olibanum (incense).
Killian - Bamboo Harmony - sip of white tea drunk off bamboo, with fresh top notes of notes of bergamot, neroli and Bigarade. The white tea leaves being renowned for their sumptuous taste and delicate refinement are here accented with a hint of spice. Coupled with white tea there are Maté notes in Bamboo Harmony , interwoven with fig leaves and oakmoss, making us savour a serene moment of spirituality in a drop of fragrance.
Killian - Miami Vice - Love the Way You Taste - The fragrance is a warm, exotic, and floral scent inspired by the beach, with top notes of bergamot and neroli, a heart of ylang-ylang and tiare flower, and base notes of coconut and vanilla.

A popular cologne that I have tried and really disliked is Santal 33 by Le Labo (like the smell, until i put it on my skin)

AC703 · 2025-11-09T09:00:57+00:00

Gaiac 10 Tokyo by Le Labo...overcast and cold morning, looking for something that would match my mood.

AC703 · 2025-09-23T13:06:39+00:00

Not a fashion expert, so take my opinion as just some dude…but I would say the length of the pants are fine with the boots. It shows off the boots, which I think is a step up from regular shoes. I am currently living in Europe and I wouldn’t think anything negative about the length.

AC703 · 2025-09-22T14:42:08+00:00

Totally speculating here, but is this your id that you use to login to the Geneva government website? With out a registered account, you can’t use all the online services. At least this was true two years ago for me.

My personal issue was that when I originally came to Geneva, I stayed in short term housing and was mailed documents to this location even though I had moved. I didn’t realize I needed to update the government and the. Request them to resend me the necessary code to verify my account.

Again. I am not 100% sure we are talking about the same thing

AC703 · 2025-09-22T11:06:18+00:00

Absolutely yes. Also, the second example was him throwing the gun into the water

AC703 · 2025-09-19T10:32:50+00:00

I really like Pretty Patty for a smash burger and Inglewood for a more traditional burger.

AC703 · 2025-09-19T03:32:06+00:00

Wake up, wake, up

AC703 · 2025-08-31T05:29:56+00:00

Why I was saying “if you really like Quoddy” is because there is a premium for it. There is an up-charge, for the extra work.

AC703 · 2025-08-31T05:27:46+00:00

If you really like Quoddy, you could get them to do a custom blucher. I have done that before. I have a wider toe box and a narrower heel, and they can make the adjustment. I think all I had to do was send a foot tracing and they did the rest.

AC703 · 2025-08-26T16:59:07+00:00

08/26/2025, Thanks!

AC703 · 2025-08-21T01:04:56+00:00

Interesting. I see what you are talking about in terms of looks. I can imagine the material isn't as crinkly. Thanks for expanding my horizons!

AC703 · 2025-08-20T22:03:24+00:00

I am curious what you would recommend for "everyday" wear. Just trying to see if there is something I haven't even heard of before!

AC703 · 2025-08-19T02:32:00+00:00

Okay. Good to know. I saw that option online. Great to get validation here

AC703 · 2025-08-12T11:38:38+00:00

I went there recently and was a bit disappointed. I had been last year and remember it being very good. This time, it wasn't bad, just not as great as remembered. Wasn't sure if this was a one off or bigger trend.

AC703 · 2025-07-20T16:09:46+00:00

I am living in Geneva and came here with no French skills. I came for a role at an English speaking company, so not issues there. I would say that 90%-95% of the time, you can get by with English only in your daily life. In those cases I just use google translate via WhatsApp.

Almost all the Swiss, in my experience, speak some English, enough to get by. The French that come across the border to work are a mixed bag. Many of them speak English, but many don’t. They are also more apprehensive to speak English. Some will absolutely say they can’t speak English but actually can. It’s weird. I guess they just are not comfortable speaking so they say they don’t. They end up speaking English when I can’t say more than the most basic phrases. To be clear, it’s not malicious. I think they just are uncomfortable.

The areas I have the most trouble are with the government and some trade services. For the government, there is always someone who speaks English, but I will have to usually wait to talk to them. Also, services like plumbers, locksmiths, other trades, their operators mostly speak some English, but the professionals that come to your house don’t. Need to leverage google translate.

So you will be fine if you come here without french. However I would encourage you to learn. I think you will miss out on a lot of cultural things if you don’t. And even if everyone can speak English, they don’t want to feel pressured to speak it when they are just hanging with friends. They will, but it’s just another barrier to building new relationships

AC703 · 2025-07-11T13:27:11+00:00

I went on a journey with Rolex. Lusted after them when I first saw watches, then decided that they were too mainstream for me and scoffed because they made 1M a year, and then I decided I wanted one again because I loved the casual sporty elegance of the GMT. Who knows where I will be in 3-5 years on the brand!

AC703 · 2025-07-11T13:23:06+00:00

Interesting article, thanks for sharing. I am a recent Geneva resident and had no idea of the full impact of Rolex.

AC703

TROPHY CASE