Cash registers No free health insurance

Statutory health insurance: Protection abroad from 2013 subject to charge

04/12/2012

In the field of statutory health insurance, from January 1, 2013, the next important change will be made: From this day on, the health insurances will no longer be allowed to offer their members a free, worldwide, private health insurance. However, according to the assumptions of the ADAC, members of occupational health insurance funds are the most affected as to how many insured persons would have to undertake their own travel insurance in the future.

But not everything will be new: the statutory benefits for travel within Europe or in countries that fall under social security agreements with Germany, however, would not change the New Year. Here, however, the ADAC expressly warns against insufficient services: travelers without privately concluded additional foreign health insurance could at worst experience a financial disaster. Because within Europe, the health insurance companies would often take only a part of the costs, in countries outside of Europe, the public health insurance in general, nothing paid. Accordingly, according to the ADAC one of the most cost-intensive services is not covered: the return transport to the home, which would be mostly necessary from Spain, Italy and Turkey. As a result, tens of thousands of euros can quickly come together, urging the ADAC to thoroughly check the insurance coverage before each trip.

The numbers of the ADAC underline the urgency of a sufficient protection: 50,000 sick or injured vacationers are cared for annually around the globe by the ambulance service of the automobile club. For about a third of the holiday finally ends with a return transport to a local clinic. And of that, it has to go very fast for about 4,500 passengers - and a return transport with ADAC special aircraft or scheduled aircraft will be organized.

Additional foreign health insurance offers sufficient protection for travelers - in the form of a family policy, for example. there is this protection already from 20 euros. (Sb)

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Picture: Paulwip