There is something that many people do not stop to calculate until the bill arrives. If you need a helicopter rescue in Switzerland, the average cost of a Rega intervention is about 4,500 francs. That's the price of a standard mission. If the rescue is complex, involves several teams or lasts a long time, the figure can be tens of thousands of francs. And if you have to be repatriated from abroad, the numbers change completely: from Spain, a medicalized jet flight costs around 30,000 francs.
Compulsory Swiss health insurance covers rescue costs, but not unlimited. According to the OFSP, the LAMal pays 50% of the rescue costs up to a maximum of 5,000 francs per year, as long as the rescue is in Switzerland. For ambulance transport, the cap is much lower: 50% up to 500 francs per year. If the accident is an occupational accident recognized by the LAA, the coverage is 100%, but that applies only in specific circumstances. If you simply get stuck in the mountain for time, get lost or have something happen to you that is not classified as an accident or illness, many insurers directly pay nothing.
This is where Rega comes in. It is not insurance, but a private non-profit foundation that works thanks to the annual contributions of its "patrons". The fee is 40 francs per adult per year, and children and young people are free. In return, if you are rescued and insurance does not cover the full costs, Rega can remit the difference. Last year, he gave up over 14 million francs to his patrons. If you are domiciled in Switzerland, whether you are from here or not, you can be a patron with the same rights as any Swiss in case of emergency. And the contribution is tax deductible as a donation in most cantons.
It's the kind of expense one tends to put off because it seems unlikely to need it. 40 francs a year. Many discover it when it is too late for it to be of any use.