Job Discussion Forums

[Hod]

Hello, I now work as a freelance engineer in Germany. It�s good. My employer, though, won�t pay a penny towards my health insurance, but then again why should they when I am freelance after all?
So, I�ve just gone and done it myself.
First off, I went to see a broker (at his house) who explained all the policies blah blah. I�d certainly do this rather than just picking some company off the internet. Not only did he use this computer programme to compare all the policies, but he explained it all. Bear in mind I knew nothing about the German medical insurance minefield plus my German was too crap meaning he had to revert to his not-so-great English, this broker worked hard to get me insured. His coffee was ace too, Italian he said.
The next bit might seem boring and irrelevant, but it shows the benefit of going through a broker. I doubt many people reading this can speak German well enough to deal with this highly important matter.
I opted first for some company called Hallesisches, partly because they were cheap (250 Euro a month), but mainly because they didn�t insist on a medical inspection first. The broker�s software must�ve listed thirty odd companies, and all but three wanted a doctor�s inspection ($$$$$$) before they would take me on. Next thing, because I�d had an eye operation seven years ago, this Hallisches lot wanted me to go to an eye doctor for an inspection ($$$$$$), plus they would add a whopping 40 Euro a month to my premium (would now be 290 Euro a month)! So, broker man did his stuff and phoned everyone, and I ended up with a company called Gothauer who added 6% on to my basic 250 Euro premium because of my previous probs but no pricey check ups, thanks.
Just as an aside, the variation in prices for basically the same coverage is staggering. There are factors such as stability of premiums over the last x years, etc, but as an example the well-known AOK had humungously high premiums.
Phew!
Anyway, for this 260 Euro or so I get all the usual benefits plus 2000 Euro a month forever if I�m too sick to work (kicks in after 29 days, I could�ve asked for up to 4000 Euros to kick in after 15 days but the premiums started misbehaving). Also, if I don�t claim within a calendar year, I even get a few months worth of premiums returned!
Just two questions:

1. That�s bloody expensive. I�m by no means an old codger (a prime specimen in my thirties), so how on earth do people on lower incomes get insured?

2. I work with some other British types who are covered for free in Germany by the UK NHS. I did, of course, check up on this. To qualify, you must have been sent to Germany by a UK-based employer. That employer needs to apply for a form E101. You can�t do it yourself (well, you can but you won�t get the UK NHS benefits). You�re also supposed to pay mandatory UK national insurance contributions, not the voluntary class 2 or 3 stuff that will keep your so-called UK state pension topped up. You can get round this if you pay German tax and national insurance and can prove it. I�ll certainly keep trying to get insured this way, but in the meantime I�m covered. This UK NHS thing won�t of course pay you 2000 Euro a month to sit around forever. Saying that, one guy I knew, whose employer sorted his UK NHS paperwork, did get treatment (a few hundred Euros) fully paid for using this method. Anyone else had any luck?

Some folk also say you can get basic travel insurance to cover you. It�s better than nothing I suppose, but I�d be sceptical of being fully covered if the stuff really hit the fan. Imagine lying in some German ICU with Michelin tyre tracks across your forehead; you�ll have plenty enough on your plate without the worry of being financially crippled too.

[Hod]

[SF21]

Have you checked toytowngermany.com? It's the biggest ex-pat community website in Germany and is loaded with info on health care in the forums.

When I was in Deutschland, even though I was just using traveler's insurance, I received a German health insurance quote of 100 Euro a month for just the minimum amount of coverage. As Chris Rock said, at least I'd die on a mattress...

[Hod]

Looking back, I think you need an insurance broker with near perfect English. There is someone on Toytown called Starshollow who gives great advice about health insurance - all in English (because he�s not German). He spent quite some time advising me even though he knew I�d already taken out insurance and wouldn�t be paying him anything - top man.

[Shaytess]

I am looking into international insurance - 1200 Euros per year vs. 350 Euros per month quoted me for German insurance. I found the 2 companies I am looking at through an insurance broker on toytown. They are based in the UK but cover Germany, and they seem to cover everything I want in a plan, like in-patient, out-patient, prescriptions, psychiatric care, pregnancy care (after 1 year), and dental.

The guy explained to me why it is cheaper to go with International Insurance - his email is copied below:


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WHY IS GERMAN PRIVATE INSURANCE RELATIVELY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE INSURANCE?


Private insurance is invariably based on age rather than on salary levels, as is Statutory insurance.

1. All German insurances, both Private and Statutory have, by Law, to make an allowance in the premium for a reserve fund (Ruecklage) to cover increasing costs in older age.

This is fine if you are intending to stay here that long, but if not � or if you are unsure � then all you will be doing is subsidising those who do.

If you are concerned that you may have higher costs in older age, then you could make your own provision by way of a personal savings plan, determined by yourself for your own purposes, and not subsidising others. Spectrum International may be able to help with this if required!

2. German insurance underwriting and thus premium calculations are based on the costs of healthcare in Germany, which are relatively high.

International insurance underwriting and thus premiums calculations are based on the average costs across the area of cover selected � for example: Europe. Thus those areas which have lower healthcare costs have the effect of bringing the averaged premium cost down.

If, however the area of cover selected is Worldwide INCLUDING the USA, then the overall costs are much higher.

Most good International Private insurances however do include limited �Out of Area� Emergency cover, whichever area is selected - e.g. the A La Carte �Europe only� cover does actually include 42 days per year emergency cover, worldwide and including the USA, for no additional premium.