Private health insurance Is a change worthwhile?

Can a change to private health insurance be worthwhile for employees??

Due to the planned health care reform, the entry requirements for private health insurance (PKV) will be relaxed. In the future, instead of the three-year period, only a one-year period will apply. Since 2007, it has been necessary for employees to have a gross income of 49,950 euros for three years beyond the compulsory insurance limit in order to be able to switch to private health insurance. Due to the reforms of the Federal Minister of Health Philipp Rösler (FDP) this regulation has now been relaxed. From the first of January 2011, only the one-year period will apply. The question remains whether actually a change from the statutory to the private health insurance can be worthwhile.

Healthcare reform makes it possible: switching from statutory health insurance to private health insurance is made easier
Because of the planned health care reform of the federal government private health insurance providers can look forward to. Employees with a relatively high income can more easily switch to private health insurance from 1 January 2011. For this, employees must have a gross income of 49,950 euros per year. This limit must be broken at least once, then a worker subject to social insurance can choose whether he prefers to remain in the statutory health insurance or in the PKV. Especially for young and healthy people, the offer can be tempting because the entry-level tariffs are inexpensive. Before that, however, the private health insurance checks on the basis of a health check, what the general state of health of the insured person is. This is then also the classification of the contribution.

A change can also be worthwhile because of the individual benefits of private health insurance. Thus, the selectable services such as chief physician treatment, care in medical practices and clinics are more privileged than the statutory health insurance. Tariff options such as reimbursements and premiums for non-use of health services can also be quite interesting. For example, if you have not used any benefits in one insurance year, some private health insurances pay back between three and four months' contributions to the insured. Such premiums to this extent do not offer the legal funds.

Individual tariffs at the PKV
A new entry-level tariff can be determined individually by the private health insurance companies. If a worker is healthy and young, the contributions are significantly lower than with the statutory health insurance. But if your own family planning changes, so do the contributions. Many wonder exactly at this point, whether it still makes sense to switch to private health insurance. After all, children are not automatically insured with PKV. On the contrary, for every child a PKV must be completed. This also applies if, for example, the child's mother is insured by a statutory health insurance. Here, who earns more, must also insure the children health insurance. For this it is then necessary that a new tariff with a health examination must be completed.

PKV introductory rates are only cheap, but over time many times more expensive
Caution is also required in the so-called entry-level tariffs. In most cases, these tariffs are very inexpensive in the beginning. But over time such tariffs are closed. This means that no more insured persons will be included more in the special tariff. The members in the tariff are getting older and the illnesses are increasing. This automatically increases the PKV contributions. A tariff change within the health insurance is possible, but is usually not seen by the private health service. It is good that the tariff change may not be provided with a change fee by a new judgment. However, one must then accept significant performance losses in order to take advantage of a low-priced PKV tariff. Insured persons partly report that tariffs have risen by 100 to 200 percent over the course of the insurance years.

Pregnancy and Private Health Insurance
As a woman, the performance differences compared to the statutory health insurance can be even more serious. Because a female employee becomes pregnant, she still has to pay the full PKV contributions during maternity protection, in contrast to the GKV. In contrast, pregnant women receive in the GKV monthly up to 385 euros maternity protection money. The PKV pays nothing. Privately insured persons who are privately insured can apply for a maximum of one-off payment of 210 euros from the Federal Insurance Office.

Also in the care of sick children, there are significant differences. The law comes up for the loss of wages of the mother or the father during the care of the child. Thus, the GKV pays up to 90 percent of the average net income of the parent that cared for the child. Continued payment is per child and partner for a maximum of 10 days a year. PKV, on the other hand, does not know such social benefits.

It depends on the individual situation of the individual, whether a change is actually an advantage. However, it must also be noted that the contributions of the statutory health insurance will continue to increase in the future. Many health insurances assume that no later than 2011/2012 new additional contributions will be levied. However, a change is always possible as long as the entry requirements are met. (sb, 28.09.2010)

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