A new era began in 1996 with the introduction of freedom of choice for taking out health insurance. The amendment introduced by the grand coalition in 2015 to reduce the general contribution rate for health insurance companies from 15.5% to 14.6% and at the same time to allow health insurance companies to charge an additional contribution further boosted competition between health insurance companies. To what extent can insured persons benefit from a change of provider and what are the conditions attached to the change of health insurance?
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Does it even make sense to change health insurance?
The point of changing health insurance providers is in the eye of the beholder. For most customers who switch to the Berliner Krankenkasse , for example , the contribution costs and the scope of the services offered are decisive reasons. Especially with regard to the additional services, the individual health insurance companies can differ significantly from each other and the type of illness and the need for aids and remedies as well as household help, walkers and ramps for wheelchair users can play a decisive role in the change.
In addition, the individual health insurance companies provide different services for the approval and financing of long-term treatment concepts and spa stays to restore the ability to work. The portfolio of possible additional services is particularly important here. Last but not least, it may be of interest how open the health insurance company is to the use of homeopathic healing methods . Some health insurance companies grant a lot here, while others are deeply skeptical about medicinal plants.
Comparison of services
When comparing health insurance benefits, chronic diseases are particularly important, for which there are a number of healing methods and help for coping with life. Not all of these services are offered free of charge. Possible additional services can be the following:
- relaxation courses
- alternative medicines
- extended services during pregnancy and childbirth
- entitlement to household help
- acupuncture
- Authorization of visual and hearing aids
- oxygen therapy
- artificial fertilization
- skin cancer screening
- osteopathy
- right to maternity benefit
- chiropractic
- no additional costs with free choice of hospital
- dental surgery benefits
optional tariffs
Health insurance companies have been allowed to offer optional tariffs since 2007. Customers have to pay less for the tariff or receive bonuses if they show agreed behavior such as the basic first visit to the family doctor in the event of illness or participation in structured treatment programs. Other tariffs offer discounts for forgoing certain services or reward patients for not seeing a doctor for a whole year. The possible optional tariffs are basically diverse and it is worth studying them.
How do you change health insurance?
In Germany, customers can switch health insurance companies after a minimum contract period of 12 months, provided the conditions for the special right of termination do not apply. The change is made easier by a new federal regulation that only requires the application for admission to a new provider, but no longer requires termination of the old provider. Customers only need to select the new provider they want and they will take care of all the formalities, including the cancellation of the old provider.
special right of termination
Before the end of the statutory twelve-month minimum contract term, health-insured persons may change providers with a notice period of two months if the provider charges an additional contribution for the first time or increases it. The prerequisite for the special right of termination is the utilization by the end of the month in which the change came into effect.
Is it also possible to switch from private health insurance to statutory health insurance?
In principle, it is possible to switch from private health insurance back to statutory health insurance. Above all, customers over the age of 55 repeatedly encounter difficulties when changing due to a lack of willingness on the part of the compulsory insurance. However, if the following conditions apply, the statutory health insurance is forced to accept if the annual income falls below the annual income limit of EUR 56,250 or the insured person claims the family insurance of the spouse.
When should you not change health insurance?
Changing health insurance can lead to problems if certain services such as household help and rehabilitation measures have to be reapplied for as a result of a chronic illness. If sick pay or care allowance is drawn from the old provider, this must also be approved again, so that there may be delays in these cases. Especially in the case of alternative and homeopathic remedies that were approved by the previous health insurance company, it is important to ensure that the new provider also assumes the costs for these medications.
