For the compulsory (LAMAL) the federal government publishes searchable comparison of all possible licensed providers here:

https://www.priminfo.admin.ch/fr/praemien

Using the google browser the site can be auto translated into English.

Assura and Supra always seem to come out as least costly.

The cheaper providers (at least in French speaking Switzerland) tend not to speak English, however the accounts can be run online and are quite straighforward. 

I've been with Helsana for 7 years.. No complaints. 

The website is in English. you can email or phone them in English also letters are mostly in English.

You can pretty much do everything online, in EN if you want.

I went to some brokers at eden leman consulting, they had mulyilingual staff, they helped me make sense out of this swiss insurance thingy, try it if you get lost in this paper maze

I have no experience with Helsana, but have been going through an ordeal for 6 months with VISANA and wouldn't recommend them at all. We signed up for complementary insurance through a broker APPH Consulting in April 2018 to start 1 Jan, 2019. My wife switched employers in July and we received a family deal for SWICA, with whom she had her base insurance and was happy. After her probationary period was up end of September, we signed up for SWICA and tried to go through APPH to cancel the VISANA policy yet to start. After delays, excuses and finally no response from APPH, we tried to deal directly with VISANA late October. They said they couldn't process our request without being contacted by APPH. I'd call VISANA (we'd given up on APPH in December) at least every 10 days to follow up and they said 'our request is still being processed', but we should expect a decision soon and they didn't see a problem to cancel the policy. January came and we started getting our 'welcome to VISANA' mails, insurance card and first bills - still no decision, but the people I spoke to in the Geneva office were still confident everything would be ok and they put our billing on hold. February still no answer, so I decided to go on social media about APPH. A few minutes later I received a written response playing innocent and then a call the next day blaming VISANA and us for everything. Less than a week later, we finally heard from VISANA saying they won't cancel our policy that we tried to cancel more than 3 months before it took effect. 

If they are like this to cancel a small complementary contract that hasn't taken effect, I'd hate to imagine if you came with a bill or claim for a few thousand or more and how long the process would take if there were any variables involved.

We've had great experiences with SWICA, though - very prompt, efficient and have great customer service including everything in English. Would highly recommend them

Anyone with a contact for Helsana. No one seems to pick the contact on their website

Just a word of warning for those who don't know..  Using agesnts/brokers/third parties. 

They have abolutely no power in offering you any reduction or special deal on the standard mandatory insurance. Anybody who says they can give you a special deal on this is telling lies. Any broker/agent, big or small only makes money on selling you the complimentary insurance.  

The mandatory insurance price is fixed, sure it might be different for SWICA vs Helsana but these differences are due to things like one may offer an online service in English, the other might not.. One you might pay the doctor in advance, the other you might pay later..  But the base price is fixed, you will not get a discount.

You are also free to have the base insurance with one company.. And the complimentary with another.. Or no complimentary.. etc.

So .. Sure, use a broker if you prefer but they are mainly gonna push you something which maximises their profit from selling you the extras. 

Also using a broker - often the insurer will prefer or insist to deal again with the broker for things like upgrades / downgrades / cancellations.. Which can be another pain as noted by Matt in his post.

Happy shopping.

Good tip!!

Thank you.

I need guidance, how do i go about finding a relatively cheap health insuarance company agent minus involving a  broker. Any ideas and leads

A part of price Helsana is very good. I am a loyal customer for last 14 years. 

Lately when complained about the price they offered a few solutions how to reduce it. I use their application to send directly invoices from the doctors and the money is reimbursed to my account always within 30 days max. Always polite and helpful by phone. 

If you're just looking for mandatory, basic coverage it's pretty straight forward. If you're healthy and just looking for the cheapest coverage (which I've done the last 10 years), ASSURA is normally one of, if not the cheapest, but don't expect much. They are fairly efficient with confirming bills sent in, but as the franchise is high, I never got to a level where they covered anything. 

Comparis is a great site to compare the prices and make a decision based on price. If you're looking for more service or a complementary insurance, it's probably best to find an expert - either ask colleagues for a broker recommendation or speak to several to compare notes and find one you feel comfortable with. A lot of brokers will try and scare you into complementary coverage - I, personally, would simply walk away from any 'scare tactic' broker and find one who listens, is considerate and tries to work with your needs. I'm sure there are a few altruistic ones who who can guide you to your best option without pushing for the most expensive option, realising they'll get a lot more money long term through satisfied word of mouth than 'one and done' business.  

Hi, any views on or experiences with Groupe Mutuel?

Quite expensive, but efficient. I've never had a problem with being reimbursed