Students insurance in Germany

It is no secret that in Germany it is necessary to pay for many additional obligatory services. Today we will talk about compulsory health insurance for university students.

No way without insurance

Insurance is a necessary condition for studying at a university in Germany. Often, the university requires insurance for admission. It is not easy to conclude a contract with a German company being in your country, because you need a physical address in Germany and much more. In this case, you can make insurance in your home country (as in the Schengen) for a couple of months, and make a full one on arrival.

Private and state insurance

There are two alternatives for students: public and private insurance. “The Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung is a “compulsory public health insurance”. Students buy this service at a reduced rate (only for students up to 30 years of age or up to 14 semesters without changing specialty). The cost of such insurance is approximately 75-110 euros per month, without taking into account special requirements.

If you have a contract with a private insurance company, you will not be able to return to public insurance until you graduate and find a job. Therefore, private insurance is more suitable for those who plan to leave Germany after graduation. Or those who are never sick. After all, you can buy yourself an insurance plan for 25 euros per month, which will not cover anything, but formally on the documents you will be fine.

Either way, you have 3 months after you start university, during which you can consult with the university or Studentenwerk about the best insurance rate for you.

What does the insurance cover?

You should always check with the insurance company to find out what services are covered. Usually the list includes a doctor’s consultation, treatment, or purchase of medication. Less often, the insurance company covers the costs of dentists, rehabilitation procedures (sanatorium, for example), the purchase of personal hygiene products, certain types of contraception, etc. You can separately include in your insurance non-traditional medicine. Then the insurance company will even cover you homeopath or acupuncture session.

It is very easy to use the insurance. You get a plastic card, which you carry with you and show at the doctor’s appointment. The hospital sends the bill directly to your insurance company. In some cases (when only part of the services are covered by the insurance) or in a pharmacy, you pay yourself and then negotiate a (partial) refund with the insurance agent. You will still have to pay some fixed amount yourself.

We have already written before about what to do if you need to see a doctor. You choose your own doctor and hospital. The main thing is to have them on your insurance policy list.
You should always read the brochures of insurance companies carefully. There are many pitfalls (for example, that when you change doctors, the insurance does not pay you to see a second specialist). In general, a winning tactic is to ask more questions to the insurance company, use bonus programs, and always keep your documents in order.