What is private health insurance in Germany?

The private health insurance represents in the German health service the counterpart to the legal health insurance and at the same time an equivalent alternative for this. The major task of the private health insurance exists in the security of the risk in connection with disease costs. By this all fall the costs, which with the demand medical treatments develop, which serve the re-establishment, preservation or improvement of the state of health, besides cover the insurance protection also preventive and rehabilitation measures. To the substantial characteristics on the one hand the kinds of the contribution computation and on the other hand the account principle of insurance payments belong to the private health insurance.

The contribution determination of the private health insurance basely on a risk-fair calculation, is however independent of the income. On the basis of factors like the age and gender of the insurant, its state of health with conclusion of a contract and further personal factors as well as the range of the insured achievements the risk of costs is determined. Simplified explained the contribution height results from how high the costs are, which the insurant will presumably cause.

However the insurant has the possibility of affecting its contribution height. This is on the one hand possible, because he can arrange its insurance protection accordingly individually and its needs, thus only the achievements to insure and pay must, which necessary he considers. These taken up to the insurance contract achievements are then however, guaranteed for the entire period of insurance contractually, whereby also in the process of the insurance further achievements can be integrated into the insurance protection or excluded from this.

On the other hand the possibility exists of agreeing upon a self participation what means that the insurant carries the agreed upon portion of the costs caused by him. The account takes place during the private health insurance on basis of the reimbursement of costs principle. That means that in requirement taken achievements are not accounted for with that, which furnished these achievements, but the costs actually arisen are refunded retroactively to the insurant. In practice this turns out in such a way that the insurant of the contracting parties of the physician is, these freely to select and with this the achievements individually to co-ordinate can.,

The calculation, which the physician provides on the basis the regulation of charges valid for it, submits the insurant when its insurance. According to examination and depending upon tariff the private health insurance transfers then the invoice amount completely or proportionately to the account of the insurant. Contrary to the legal health insurance the private health insurance is not open however to everyone. A private patient full insurance is possible only for those, which are not in the GKV insurance requiring. There is the possibility nevertheless also for legally patient-insured of supplementing their insurance protection and of profiting from the advantages of a private health insurance, i.e. by the conclusion of a private additional insurance.