History of Groupe Mutuel

Takeover of 51% of Neosana and takeover of 150 employees of Maklerzentrum in Basel in order to strengthen the sales network. With a view to optimising the portfolio, Mutuel Assurances SA (MASA) and Groupe Mutuel Assurances GMA SA (GMA SA) join forces by merging through absorption.  Opening of a new service centre in Epalinges.

Groupe Mutuel Prévoyance (GMP) and Mutuelle Valaisanne de Prévoyance (MVP) merged on 1 January 2019. This merger gives a new dimension to Groupe Mutuel Prévoyance, which provides insurance for 2,700 companies and has more than CHF 2 billion in assets under management.

Groupe Mutuel has changed its legal status. After having been an association of insurers for 25 years, it has become a holding company. This new simplified structure, better adapted to current challenges, helps the company to become more transparent.

SUPRA-1846 SA, the health insurer based in Lausanne, and Groupe Mutuel joined forces. From 1 May 2015, SUPRA policyholders can benefit from the structure and network of Groupe Mutuel Therefore, 78,000 insureds have joined Groupe Mutuel, bringing its total policyholders under basic health insurance to 1.24 million.

2013 is the 20th anniversary of Groupe Mutuel. Innovative in the creation of new insurance products, Groupe Mutuel won the special jury award of the magazine "Schweizer Versicherung" for his product Legisdigit@.

At 1 January 2011, Groupe Mutuel had 1.3 million policyholders (basic and supplemental insurance combined). Groupe Mutuel grouped its companies together: the number of health insurers was reduced from 15 to 4. This simplified their structures and strengthened their financial base.

The association, which was created in 1993 to manage companies specialising in personal insurance, health insurance, occupational benefits and life insurance, now hads1,491 employees.

By joining Groupe Mutuel, Philos with its 120 employees and 130,000 policyholders helped to strengthen the group’s position in the canton of Vaud. As a result, the company consolidated its number one position in French-speaking Switzerland and its third place in Switzerland.

The new service centre of Groupe Mutuel in Zurich-Oerlikon replaces the locations in Zurich, Glattbrugg and Rennweg. The modernized Zurich-Oerlikon building also welcomes new employees. Providing office space for up to 170 employees, this new service centre will allow Groupe Mutuel to increase its capacity for future growth.

By joining Groupe Mutuel, “Panorama” opens up new opportunities for the future. The corporate insurer of Lindt & Sprüngli also chooses to join Groupe Mutuel under the name “Easy Sana”. These two companies can thus expand their activities throughout Switzerland. For its 10th anniversary, Groupe Mutuel has 17 health insurers.

Groupe Mutuel welcomes a new health insurer, “La Caisse Vaudoise”. The existing infrastructure of the service centre in Lausanne is adapted to meet the new requirements. The number of insured persons rises to 550,000, which makes Groupe Mutuel the fourth largest health insurer in Switzerland.

After a short construction period, the central departments and management of Groupe Mutuel moved into a new building in Martigny. The benefits and membership departments increase at the same time as the number of insureds increases.

With the affiliation of the health insurers Avenir, Mutual and Mutualité, the number of insured persons rises to 340,000. A new service centre is now available to all policyholders in Villars-sur-Glâne, near Fribourg.

With Groupe Mutuel Vie GMV SA, Groupe Mutuel extends its activities to life insurance. Individual retirement benefits and the protection of family members against unforeseen events made it possible to broaden the range of its health insurance products.

The operational structures are combined into a single company: “Groupe Mutuel” is founded and, as a service company, takes over the central administration of the member health insurance companies and the two pension funds. In the same year, Groupe Mutuel also expands its activities in Zurich to include the health insurance fund of CMBB, the timber and construction trade union. This affiliation opens up interesting prospects in German-speaking Switzerland.

In 1988, “Mutuelle Valaisanne” is concentrated on the cantonal territory, with 33,000 insureds.  It seeks to develop new opportunities beyond the cantonal borders. The integration of the "Hermes Foundation" is the foundation stone for expansion in the rest of the country.

The “Sociétés de Secours Mutuels” face competition from the large national insurers. In 1951, "Mutuelle Valaisanne" was founded and has 154 policyholders. In 1966, it merged with the "SSM de Sierre".

The second half of the 19th century saw the birth of the "Sociétés de Secours Mutuels" whose members came together in order to better control the economic consequences of unforeseen events.

In 1890, various associations joined forces to form the “Fédération valaisanne des Sociétés de Secours Mutuels SSM”.  The introduction of the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance (LAMal/KVG) in 1911 contributed to the  development of this new institution.

25 citizens of Saint-Maurice found a mutual aid society.