Health insurance for unemployed non-EU citizens

I was made redundant, and I do not qualify for unemployment benefits. I want to apply to work as a freelancer, but to do so I need to have my own health insurance.

My question is what happens once I've lost my job to my AOK public health insurance? My deduction is that the coverage stops. Fine. But, as an American, can I qualify to remain a part of the public system while I am unemployed if I pay for it? Or as a private person can I remain in the public system regardless of employment status (meaning as a non-EU freelancer)? I am a bit confused as to what my first step should be in terms of health care coverage- given I am not earning anything at the moment, is it still possible to get private coverage?

I may sound naive here...but unfortunately my ignorant questions are totally genuine. There are several topices on health insurance, but nothing quite like this.

Thank you.

wahoo: let me try to re-iterate the relevant facts I sifted from your text:

- you have worked in an employment in Germany with a fixed salary, public health insurance (AOK)and all for a couple of month
- the time you have been employed was not long enough to make you eligible for unemployment beenfits
- you are now looking for to get a residence permit/visa as a self-employed for which you need to show proof of health insurance

If these facts are correctly summoned up from your info, the following would be your situation. If some of the facts are not correct, pls specify/clarify so that the right answer can be given to you.

1. since you already have a membership from your past employment in a public health insurance, you continue to be a member regardless of your employment/income situation. However you must inform the AOK about your change of employment status and income and give them a bank information from where to draw the monthly premium if, what I assume, the premium was paid from deductions of your pay-check by the employer.
Of course you will be a bit shocked when you see the total you will be charged now by the AOK since now you have to pay the full premium whereas in the past your employer picked up half of the costs. Which is exactly the case you need to inform AOK about your current no-income-situation in order to get the lowest possible premium computation awarded (based on an income as self-employed of roughly 1.200.- EUR/month minimum). If you don't get in contact with AOK and if the don't get a premium for your health insurance for three month they'll kick you out and you would have a hard time of getting re-accepted voluntarily again later.
2. depending on your chances to get back into employment or to continue a career as freelancer/selfemployed you have of course also the options to take on private health insurance from German or international insurance companies. if you are young, single and healthy this would definetly save you some costs right now. If you'd take a private German health insurance you would also have the security that this insurance stops to be effective (and to cost money) whenever you pick up a new employment with compulsory public health insurance, thus you'd avoid the danger of being liable to pay for private health insurance AND public health insurance parallel for some time which would be the case with most international health insurance being based on yearly contracts.

If you want to see the difference between lowest possible public insurance costs for you and similar coverage by private health insurances, contact an independent insurance broker to work this out for you. But make also sure that you discuss all consequences of going the private way with him in detail before you opt out from public system you are already in. There are pros and cons and one size does definetly not fit all...

Cheerio

I am in nearly the same situation as Starshollow described fr wahoo:

- Was employed for a few months(but I had IKK-Direkt)
- don't get unemployment
- I actually have a residence permit for 2yrs (job permit was linked to previous company)

Here are some more points which may or may not differ from wahoo:
- US Citizen
- I am making a non-fixed wage as an consultant (I've done some work but I've yet to send the invoice).
- Next month I have a chance to start working as a freelancer but 100% for a company outside of Germany (does that even work?). I'll have to cross the border on my commute everyday since I don't want to move out of Germany and it won't be a long trip.

IKK-Direkt said they must drop me due to the change in situation and said that I must get private insurance.

Based on Starshollow comments I guess my best course of action is to find an independent insurance broker and figure things out with them. However I am interested in finding out how you (wahoo) finally solved your problem. I will post here how my situation ends up. Within a few weeks it should be solved.

first post!

Nico

I was told that if you have been paying insurance and then loose your job, that your insurance company is required to cover you for one more month after you stop paying. Is this correct? The person who told me was from the unemployment insurance place (which I couldnt qualify for, due to visa restrictions, even though I had paid insurance for a year).

while I do not have real knowledge of the situation you describe here, I seriously doubt that any insurance, whether private or public, will be required to cover you for one more month without payment. Someone sure has to pay the insurance, if not your employer anymore than probably you...
If you want to play it safe I would recommend that you sign up with a private German health insurance with a high deductible/excess option asap. This will give you fiull coverage in case something serious happens to you while keeping your actual premium low for the time being (which means of course that you'll pay for small prescriptions or check-ups basically yourself). The plus here is, too, that the private German health insurance will stop immideately when you have gotten yourself a new job with compulsory public health insurance so that you do not have to fear to be double-paying when you get back into public health insurance (which would happen if you sign up with international health insurances in most cases as they require a 1-year-contract without early release clause if you get public health insurance suddenly like the private German health insurances have).

Cheerio

yonk, you are right. You will be covered for one month, even if you don't pay (it is called something like "nachgehender Anspruch").
It is the same with unpaid leave. Also in that case you are cavered for one additional month.

good to know...

meanwhile good luck to finding new employment soon!

Cheerio