TCM and health insurance in Winterthur Töss

Many patients ask before the first appointment whether Swiss health insurance pays for TCM and acupuncture. The short answer: usually not through basic insurance, but through supplementary insurance for complementary medicine. Whether anything is reimbursed, and how much, depends on your policy, not on the clinic.

This page explains the Swiss distinction, which credentials TCM Praxis Töss holds, and what to clarify before you start. We do not list insurer-specific reimbursement rates or annual limits we cannot verify. Your insurer gives the binding answer.

Compulsory basic insurance under the KVG generally does not cover TCM given by a therapist. Physician-delivered acupuncture can, under narrow conditions, run through basic insurance. Jing Zhang is a TCM therapist, not a medical doctor. Billing through basic insurance is therefore not the route at this practice.

What matters is voluntary supplementary insurance under the VVG, often labelled complementary or alternative medicine. Not every supplementary policy covers this. A hospital add-on alone is usually not enough.

If complementary medicine is in your policy, ask about the share per session, the annual limit, any deductible, and whether EMR or ASCA recognition is required.

Supplementary insurers often require the therapist to be listed with the Empirical Medicine Register (EMR) or ASCA. Jing Zhang is recognized by both EMR and ASCA. The ZSR number for your paperwork is A100263.

Her public EMR profile is here: emr.ch/therapeut/jing.zhang.

Without that recognition many insurers will not pay. With it, reimbursement is still not automatic. The policy decides.

We recommend calling your insurer before the first treatment. Clarify the annual limit and the deductible. If you have already used other complementary-medicine benefits in the same year, you may be closer to the cap.

You are welcome to bring that answer to the appointment. We do not guarantee that an invoice will be reimbursed.

An acupuncture session is about CHF 132 to 156 on our price list, depending on duration and combination. Diagnosis, tuina, cupping, moxa and herbal consultation are listed separately. The current table is on the pricing page.

Whether your supplementary insurance covers part of it does not change the clinic price. You receive paperwork to submit to your insurer.

TCM Praxis Töss / TCM Töss GmbH, Zürcherstrasse 139, 8406 Winterthur, opposite Migros Zentrum Töss.

Hours: Wednesday and Friday, 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:30. The clinic is closed on other days.

Phone: +41 77 462 28 75, email: info@tcmtoess.ch.

If you are unsure whether an appointment makes sense, write or call. Cost approval stays with your insurer. More about the therapist is on About, the location on Directions.