Summary
If the private health insurance income threshold in Germany increases above your salary, you can either stay on private health insurance by submitting an exemption form or switch to public health insurance. The exemption is irrevocable for your entire employment relationship and may limit your ability to return to public health insurance later.
If changes in Germany's private insurance threshold for employees place you below the new limit, you have 2 options:
1. Stay on private health insurance
You can stay on private health insurance by submitting a public health insurance exemption request within 3 months of the threshold change. How you do this depends on your situation:
If the income you declared when you signed up is below the new threshold, we'll email you after the new threshold is announced with a link to a form. Once you've filled it in, we submit the exemption request to TK for you, with your email in CC.
If your income has dropped below the new threshold since you signed up, we won't know, so you won't receive that email. You can submit the exemption request yourself, directly to any public health insurance provider, within the same 3-month window. You can contact our support team for more assistance.
Whichever route you take, you'll receive written confirmation that the exemption has been processed, and it should reach you within 3 months. If we submitted the request for you, that confirmation comes from TK, and you can contact TK directly if it hasn't arrived in that time. TK handles the processing, so we're not able to give updates on it. If you submitted the request yourself, the confirmation comes from the provider you sent it to.
Understanding the exemption form
While we believe retaining private health insurance is a secure choice, we aim for transparency regarding the effects of the exemption from public health insurance.
If you choose the exemption, switching back to public health insurance later may be challenging. The exemption is irrevocable and valid for your entire employment relationship, including new employment taken up immediately or with a short break in between. These short-term breaks are defined as periods of up to one month during which no other compulsory insurance coverage is in effect.
2. Switch to public health insurance
You can switch to public health insurance by enrolling through your employer or directly with a public health provider. After enrollment, you must obtain official confirmation of coverage that includes the coverage start date.
Once you're covered, ask your public health provider for an official confirmation of coverage that shows the start date. Submit that letter when you cancel your private health insurance through your Feather account. You should do it within 3 months of the threshold increase. Your private health insurance is not canceled automatically!
Do you have more questions or need personalized advice? Don't hesitate to