How long before I can use health insurance? - Germany

Hey folks,
I will need to get a tonsillectomy done within the next few months. I don't have health insurance at the moment, so I'm wondering if I get it now how long will I have to wait until I can use it to cover my operation? Or is there an alternative solution?

Thanks for any help.
Cian

If you qualify to get public health insurance, they will probably back charge you for any time you haven't been insured because you are legally required to have insurance but the moment you have a paper saying you are insured, in my case this happened even before I paid them anything, you are fully covered.

If you are looking into private insurance, they might exclude it as a pre-existing condition, I really don't know.

I'm actually in Ireland now but planning on going to Berlin in the new year. So I can't get any coverage of any sort until I go there I'm presuming? But I need the tonsillectomy done within about 6 months really. I don't care if I'm on public or private health insurance as long as I can get it done either way.

Do you/will you have a job when you're here?

No, I'll be setting up my own venture so I won't be employed. And my venture will probably take several months to be up and running and (hopefully) profitable.

Thanks

Allow me to ask the obvious and enquire why you don't get the operation done in Ireland? I'm assuming you have insurance there. And that you'd rather focus on setting up your venture in Germany without having to take a break for a tonsillectomy.

It'll take at least 6 months to get it done here because of waiting lists. I want to move to Berlin in January. And I'd prefer to get it over and done with asap.

cheers

Ah. Those waiting lists for surgeries are one of the scary scenarios hanging over efforts to reform health care in the US.

If you are starting your own venture, with little income, you will not qualify for private insurance in Germany, so you won't have to worry about the pre-existing condition thing.

ok thanks. And how does one qualify for public health insurance? Do I have to be living there for a certain amount of time for example?

-Cian

I hope someone else (LeonG?) can answer that for you; I wasn't aware that you had to do anything to "qualify" for public insurance other than live legally in Germany.

To qualify for private insurance, you need to be earning a minimum amount. I don't remember what that exact amount is anymore, but it's likely more than you will be earning as you are setting yourself up.

I've moved this thread to "Finance" - there are several finance/insurance experts who frequent TT, hopefully one will be along shortly to answer your questions.

Thanks Jeff and everyone who has replied

Is there any option for you to get it done privately where you are?
I´ve also heard of people popping over the channel to have smaller operations done in the Netherlands - apparently the waiting lists can be shorter there and there isn´t much of a language barrier - it might be something for you to look into............

- you´ll surely want to be fit and healthy to start up your new venture when you get here!

I only got back to Ireland a couple of weeks ago. So I have not been getting private insurance here either. And even if I got it immediately they don't cover anything except for accidents for 6 months.

I'm a bit confused about how public health insurance works on the continent - I would have thought that you have to be a citizen of the country and not just a European citizen to qualify for public health insurance?

I now there was a big thing about it some ten years ago or so.
Anyway, in the course of two clicks I found this for you:

http://www.know-insurance.co.uk/travel/info_advice/e112_form.htm

- but feel free to go Googling yourself!!