When you are planning to study in Germany, keep this point that you are mandatorily required to issue health insurance in the country of irrespective of whichever city, you chose to reside in!
Health Insurance
The terms and conditions also apply to the residents and they often make a choice between the private health insurance and the German health insurance. We through MEDICOQA guide you to select the best insurance company at minimum cost in the country of Germany.
As far as the German healthcare system is concerned, it is one of the best in the entire European nation and all immigrants (including foreign students in Germany and all foreigners working in Germany) are eligible for subsidized German healthcare services.
However, as said, it is mandatory for all residents and they are expected to have some of the other forms of health insurance in Germany.
With regards to the guidelines of the law, all of the official residents Of Germany are needed to be insured for the outpatient medical treatment and hospital purposes or through the private/state health insurance. In addition to this, you are obliged to showcase proof of health insurance.
For the purpose of getting a residence permit or visa, foreign students in Germany are typically required to be covered with the motive of representing the proof of health insurance.
Once you are approved as a resident in Germany, it will be made compulsory to get registered with either a statutory German health insurance scheme or a private insurance scheme.
The benefit is your eligibility for claim largely depends upon your employment situation and still, there are certain exemptions, for instance: health insurance which is specifically meant for foreign students in Germany.
Speaking about the residents of EFA and EU nation or Switzerland, they are allowed healthcare on certain grounds i.e. on the same basis as German nationals when they travel to Germany or are the temporary visitors in Germany.
In order to be eligible for state healthcare, you will be needed to fetch EHIC (i.e. the European health insurance card) and this should be done, prior to your arrival in Germany.
Apart from this, there are residents who are planning to stay for more than a year in the country of Germany or lets talk about the ones working in Germany, all of these people are strictly expected to either join a private insurer or get German health insurance, issued.
There are also options of expat-friendly insurance broker such as PopSure which can also help to find a great and budget-friendly insurance plan, covering all of your medical needs, in all possible languages, you can understand.
For the temporary visitors, like those from outside the EU member area, can also claim state healthcare, under the reciprocal agreements with their home country and if not, you will further be asked to pay for the healthcare services or take up the travel insurance in the country of Germany.
There are almost 90% of residents who are covered under the German health care scheme and immigrants, working in Germany are also subjected to compulsory state German health insurance, termed as GKV(gesetzliche Krankenversicherung).The following conditions are to be fulfilled:
Be it the civil partner, spouse or children of someone who is studying in Germany all of them are covered by state healthcare insurance and are eligible for family co-insurance in certain conditions ie. Without paying contributions, provided that the income earned does not exceed 415-450 euros per month, which again depends on the situation (maybe both casual as well as regular).
Speaking about the majority of German workers, they remain on the state German health insurance system but are still possible to take more out of the expensive private health insurance in some circumstances.
The contributions of German health insurance are divided between the employer and employee, irrespective of whether you use a public or private scheme. Also, if you are eligible to switch from a state to private health insurance or not, you funding vary with respect to your employment status.
In case, if you earn less than 57600 euros, a year or around 4800 euros, a month, it is mandatory for you to stick firmly to the statutory system which prevails in the country of Germany.
Although you are free to make choices between the private or state health insurance, whichever you prefer on your side! If you are:
Taking you to the private kind of health insurance in Germany which typically offers you with more extensive services and quicker waiting times. In addition to this, you also have this better probability of finding a chance of English-speaking providers.
There are some cases that can work about the same cost like the state healthcare however these are the cases, not similar to those of the state German insurance, and does not cover the partners and children for free.
Medicoqa recommends you to not always switch to a private fund as premiums are often based on personal factors and prices which increase with health risks, age and additional family members.
Being young with zero or minimum health issues and have sufficient income coverage to pay off premiums and then switching to private health insurance can be more of a viable option to you.
On the contrary, if you have some serious health issues and are suffering from being accepted to a private scheme in Germany, you can choose for a Basistarif that obliges insurers to accept all possible cases under the same conditions of the government system.
Like if you move to the country of Germany with the motive of living and working in Germany, then you will be required to register with the German health insurance fund, prior to your arrival in Germany so that you can use the state healthcare system.
If you happen to be a salaried employee, then your employer will probably register you automatically with any of the German health insurance company, even here you have the right to make a choice of your wish.
Furthermore, you can also typically change the health insurance company in Germany by giving a notice, 2 months before the 18-month expiry date or whenever you come across, a supplementary increase which has been announced.
German law has made it mandatory for all the foreign students in Germany to get health insurance done. The law further explicitly states that every person in Germany, irrespective of his/her residence (long/short term) or social status (employed or unemployed) must be health insured prior to his/her entrance into the country of Germany.
Furthermore, you are subjected to juridical acts and this is the reason why you are mandatorily required to have health insurance in the country of Germany which permits you to stay in Germany and continue with your course of study in Germany.
Just for your knowledge, there are two kinds of health insurance which prevail in the country of Germany.
Regardless of your income in Germany, you must issue public health insurance which is considered mandatory and thus you will be entitled to this scheme. There are also cases where the earnings are above the threshold limit, so if you fall under this category, you can go for private health insurance which is liable to cover more medical needs, if you wish.
Most of the foreign students in Germany prefer MAWISTA health insurance due to its great insurance plans for foreign students in Germany.
Also, on the basis of your nationality, your health insurance in your home country, your medical needs in Germany are covered partially and fully.
The payment made for the German healthcare system is secured and covered by the German social security while there are 120 insurers, held responsible for administering state healthcare access and as per the census of 2015; the contribution made by the state healthcare was reduced to 14.6% from 15.5% in terms of net income.
Usually, if you are expected to pay half of the amount i.e. approximately 7.3& of your monthly income which is automatically deducted from your bank account and your employer takes care of the remaining fee, at a cap of 7.3%.
Furthermore, the state German health insuranceinsures a charge of additional contribution rate that fluctuates year-to-year depending on the healthcare expenditure.
The rate of contribution oscillates between insurers and is only payable by the employees on the basis of their income percentage. In fact, your insurance fund is needed to send you notifications, in cases of changes of contribution charges, for the purpose of cheaper alternatives.
With regards to the norms of the German government, you are expected to stay with German health insurance Company for a span of 18 months and after the accomplishment of this duration, you are free to consider and approach other German health insurance company.
Since last few years, the German health insurance has come under pressure, with regards to the healthcare costs and co-payments have been increasing for certain medicines and treatments which are likely to be increased in the upcoming future.
Speaking about some areas of medicine like orthodontic treatment, dental treatments and glasses, the German state health insurance, only covers a small portion of the cost.
In addition to this, the policy covers most kinds of the treatment, keeping the specialist areas aside, including hospital care, GP visits, X-rays, medical treatment, sick leave, mental health care, prescription drugs and giving births, in the country of Germany.
There are also some cases when you being foreign students in Germany can be held liable to pay a co-payment, commonly termed as Zusatzzahlungen which is for the cost of prescription drugs and treatment.
For every single quarter of the year, you seek help, you are required to pay an off-charge of 10 euros and in case if you do not need any kind of medical assistance than you dont have to pay any sort of additional charges. On the contrary, if you need assistance more than once in a while as in within a span of 3 months, you only have to pay once, thats it.
Possibly there are some instances when there is probability of add-on purchases from the private insurers, say Zusatzversicherung (a kind of supplementary insurance) for the purpose of maintaining your state coverage for better choice and availability of treatment, no co-payments for prescription charges, more extensive dental coverage, treatment abroad, no quarterly fee and repatriation costs.
Out of every 10 residents in Germany, 1 person opt for private health insurance in Germany and there are approximately 40 companies which oversee the private medical insurance market with lots of combinations and packages that suit different budgets.
Whereas the contributions to state health insurance are mostly based on the income that you earn and with private health insurance in Germany, your contributions depend on your risk profile (inclusive of your age and medical history).
In case if you chose to go for the private route, youll typically pay the doctor fee upfront and can ask for reimbursement from the private health insurance company.
Unlike the healthcare services of the state health insurance, its more than important to remember that there are prospects of being out-of-pocket for a while after any case of treatment, however, you will typically get a full reimbursement, but after you normally pay part of those medical costs.
Generally, the private health insurance in Germany offers you with more extensive coverage as compared to the state medical insurance. Additionally, it provides you with a prospect of more specialist treatments and better quality accommodation where you will also have the access to some doctors, who restrict their practices to have patients, leading to short waiting period plus you wont be any additional charges, for instance, the co-payments for medicines.
With Medicoqa, its all easy and compatible to select one amongst the possible alternatives, and with regards to the country of Germany, it is much easier to find a doctor who is aware of your native language, in case if you are a member of the private health insurance in Germany.
You also have the freedom to choose the level of your excess or for any deduction fee, where you would possibly opt to pay up the certain amount for each year of treatment. This process is known as Selbstbehalt when you chose a higher excess for the purpose of private health insurance in Germany and this is indeed a way to reduce your lower monthly contributions.
Substantially, you are not confined with any sort of obligations to stay with a company for more than a period of 18 months although the insurance company may or may not have some conditions.
For foreign students in Germany, if you are studying or about to study in a state-approved German university, then you will be mandatorily required to pay a premium for nursing care and health purposes which stands out to be around 80 euros per month and if you are above the age of 25 years and do not have any children than the children education could easily be covered for free under the coverage of family health insurance in Germany.
Once you turn 30 or have successfully completed 14th semester, the premium of the health insurance in Germany will automatically increase by around 50 euros per month and the foreign students in Germany who arent covered under the health care system of the country of Germany, cannot join the state system (for instance the overseas graduates), although have the access of health insurance worth 25-30 euros, a month.
The process is that students in Germany will first be assigned to the compulsory state German health insurance but can also go for the private health insurance if they wish to request an exemption within the 3 months of enrollment.
Above all, it depends on the students choice which binds for the entire period of study in Germany.
If you are likely to have German health insurance, your simple routine for dental procedures or perhaps your dental surgeries tend to be covered. Though, the recent pressure on a particular healthcare system has observed to be increasing in co-payment amounts.
Subsequently, the major dental works are more likely to be covered partially by the state German health insurance and privately insured residents should check their plan to witness what all the dental treatments actually include.
On the other way round, the dental insurance in Germany can be taken out to be as a supplement for your health insurance plan or will stand out as an alone insurance plan for you.
Nearly costing you 10-20 euros per month, the better coverage or lower co-payments will incur a high amount of premiums.
Apart from this, you can also contact a dentist in order to get a quotation or detailed overview, before actually agreeing to any treatment as well as what all will be covered under your dental insurance in the country of Germany.
Landing to the state health insurance in Germany, it also involves the sickness benefits with your employer paying up your salaries and wages for up to 6 weeks and in case if you are unable to work, your health insurer will be paid off 70% of your salary with a maximum duration of 78 weeks, over a period of 3 years, thereafter.
Theres this statutory sick pay, termed as Krankengeld which is paid up to a value of 3045 euros, a month and if you earn more than you might also consider purchasing another sick pay insurance.
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