Best value private health insurance providers

Dear All,

I am British, have just moved to Berlin from Hamburg and am just setting myself as a freelance English teacher. I have registered (angemeldet), have my tax number, but next on my list is getting health insurance. Although I have lived in Germany for a while I have not needed private health insurance until now. I am now realising that it is considerably expensive and also complicated. I have what is considered a preexisting condition, which seems to be make it harder to find good value insurance.

Does anyone have any advice of a particular company to go with? Any recommendations specifically for British/English speaking workers? Or for freelance teachers?

I'd basically like to find a way of insuring myself at low cost but making sure I'm covered for as much as possible!

Thanks in advance.

We're with the Debeka which seems to be good value for money.

best to talk to an independent insurance salesperson, and they can find an insurance that takes your condition and how much you can pay and all the bits and bobbs extras you want/need:

I am with Axa and they are super.

HI Ella!

Private health insurance is depending on your age, gender and of course health condition. If you would be best served with a public Germa health insurance (as a Brit you would have a chance to become voluntary member if you have been insured with the NHS at least 24 mont out of the last 5 years), a private German health insurance or international health insurance will depend on a number of parameters and, to be quit frank with you, without professional help there is a serious risk that you end up with something not fitting for a lot of money.

Therefore get yourself some independent advice with someone who can cover all areas of health insurance for you.

Cheerio

Its worth checking out PPP, BUPA and Norwich Union who all have international policies and seem to be much cheaper than German providers.

lazybum: only problem is that most German employers do not accept an international health insurance choice of an employee but only either public or private German health insurance.
Cheerio

I was with BUPA before...then contacted Mike Woodiwiss, and that saved me quite a bit by switching to alc. He was also quick & friendly which you don't see a lot of around these parts.

Anyways, contact him or Starshallow and you should be good to go.

(...oh, and for those in Munich needing help, you can meet Mike Woodiwiss at the newcomer's festival which is this sunday april 27th at the praterinsel...) ...if I sound like an advertisement, I've never met the man in person, I just like people who save me money.

lazybum: I must be getting mental today or it the Fön (if there is any...) You are of course right, since Ella is a freelancer and not an employee, just mixed up different threads here. Sorry for the confusion.

Yep! Newcomer festival in Munich on Sunday is an excellent opportunity to meet friendly people with excellent advice... guess who will be there as well?
See you there,
Cheerio

If you're freelance, go with BUPA or anything but the German plans. Much more flexible in terms of coverage, and probably cheaper compared one to one.

silty1: since I work a lot with international health insurances as well as an independent broker, I have to correct you on this insofar as in a direct comparison of coverage for money, usually the international health insurance looses against a good private German health insurance.
In such a really fair comparison you have to take into consideration the following paramters when checking out the premium computations already included in private German health insurances:
a) coverage world wide including evacuation back home if medically required
pregnancy
c) dental including replacements/prothesis, orthodontics and all with 60-80 % of the costs
d) no caps on any in- and out-patient coverage

On top of that you might want to add that the increase in premium is very moderate when getting older compared to international insurance.

Having said that:

if you want to reduce your health insurance costs as much as possible and if you can forgo any of the coverage areas mentioned above (pregnancy, dental) or limit your coverage only to Europe, you can of course get much lower premium prices with international insurances. But it is not the same coverage for less money, it is simply more limited coverage for smaller premium in the end.

Cheerio

HUK Coburg online have special deals for self employed or freelancers and are cheaper because theres no agent who needs a commission , I pay € 109 monthly , I know none with a better deal for someone my age , the younger you are the cheaper .

Well, for sure there are individual preferences. If you're an extremely successful freelancer and can afford gold card insurance, by all means. Most don't need it. Private insurance in Germany has a lot of schnick-schnack nobody ever uses but you have to pay for it in your premium. With BUPA, for example, you can pare it down to the minimum.

You could try IMG Europe, which has 4 levels of cover, and, more importantly for you, insures existing conditions after 24 months. If you need sick benefit pay for peace of mind, try JBI Income Care. I have 1,000 pounds a month cover after 28 days and pay 388 pounds p.a. and I´m 55! No German insurance will match that.Best of luck!

silty1: as it is, we are in no contradiction here --- the point I was making is, that if you put the coverage side by side and you would take an inernational health insurance matching the German private health insurance bit for bit, then in my experience the international health insurance is not better priced anymore.
However, you are absoluteyl correct that you can not opt out from any of the basic coverage parameters with a German health insurance and thus you can reduce your current costs a lot with an international health insurance through reduction of coverage.
But then you can not compare them anymore directly... that was what I meant, poorly phrased/explained though it perchance was

John Q.: this JBI Income Care sounds interesting. Care to give me some more info directly (PM, Email)? That'd be grand.

Cheerio

Hi Starshollow.Would be delighted to give you infos about IncomeCare.Not sure how to find out your email address(I´m not the right generation or at least not of the right intellect!).If you email me on info@gunn-partner.de, I´ll gladly help you for your clients.By the way, I admire your honesty and stamina!

Do NOT go with Allianz is all I can say. The process for getting claims through is ridiculous. You actually have to have your doctor fill out a form for the insurance company or they won't process the claim. You also have to take care of all the paperwork on your own. Very inexpensive, but not worth the trouble.

Hi

I'm moving to the Hamburg area from the UK on the 20th June and need some advice! I have trawled the internet (as well as Toytown) and am still not sure what to do with regards to health insurance.

I have a NHS card which will cover me short term, but since I will be looking for work and therefore unemployed to start with I will need some form of private health insurance. Can anyone recommend a good, well priced company? I have a limited budget and am starting to get nervous, especially since nobody here in the UK (either at the jobcentre, citizens advice or DWP) seems to know what they are talking about!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Topics merged by admin

Hi Barri.As long as you´re not working, you´re covered short-term with the NHS.Then, two scenarios: you become an employee and have to take out public insurance.Your employer will offer you a list of candidates, "Kassen", public insurance comanies.The concept is strange, I know, but there´s no NHS here, only national health insurance companies, for lack of a better word.If you turn self-employed/free-lance, you can go for private--then you have the choice of German companies (loads of variations) or international private health insurance (advantage:mostly in English and cheaper).If you´re hanging around for a couple of years only, then the latter is better for you (you´re clearly young).Check out AXA PP; IMG Europe, Interglobal,William Russell, among others.You can cancel them quickly if things change.If you decide to fall in love, then German policies are better long-term (has to do with long-term care and price reduction in old age).Not sure if you´ll get many replies tonight as the footie´s on! Best, John

If you can accept that such an insurance for the time being would only cover you in dire emergencies, there is an option available on arrival in Germany for a the first couple of months and a premium of only 76.- EUR/month. It covers in- and outpatient treatment if medically required (so no check-ups etc) and dental treatment like taking care of cavities but no dental replacements and also no coverage for pregnancy/maternity.
Otherwise and if you need a more comprehensive health insurance coverage it would depend on age, gender and the deductible/excess option you'd find acceptable to determine which German or international private health insurance might do the trick for you until you are in a job again. Best you'd contact an independent broker or advisor here... there are actually some advertising on Toytown, you might want to check that out.

Cheerio