You may have heard about or recently spoken with us about our long term health insurance option, which can be considered as an extension to our expat health insurance. But you may be wondering what the differences are, and which one would be the best option for your situation?
Well firstly, we would suggest that our long term health insurance is a great option for those who may not be able to use expat anymore, and are not (yet) eligible for public or private health.
Here are some examples below of those who would most benefit from this policy:
Those who have been in Germany over 5 years and are not eligible for public or private health
Persons applying for a visa/permit renewal who aren’t eligible for public or private health
Freelancers who earn under the private threshold and aren’t eligible for KSK
Freelancers who earn above the private threshold but have pre-existing conditions and wouldn’t be eligible for private, and aren’t eligible for KSK
Those who want more coverage than what expat health can offer, but don’t want to or can’t get onto public/private health
Dependents of a person who is on full private health who are not eligible to join private because of pre-existing conditions
Now, let's break down some further differences between to the two to give you an overview.
| Incoming Private Insurance (Expat) | Long term health insurance |
Coverage overview | New conditions only, no cover for pre-existing conditions or routine check ups without symptoms | New conditions, some pre-existing conditions (if no treatment has been completed in the last 3 years) and routine check ups (after a waiting period) are included |
Ability to add dependents | ✅ | ✅ |
Length of policy | 5 years | Unlimited |
Visa requirements | §193 (3) VVG Suitable for most first time visas but not sufficient for visa renewals | § 152 VAG Suitable for visas and visa renewals |
Salary minimum for eligibility | X | X |
Health screening for eligibility | X | X However there is a health screening for those aged between 65-70 years |
Cost | Set price based on age and policy, policies start from 72 EUR per month
Generally the cheapest option | Cost is based on age and whether a voluntary deductible is chosen. |
Travel cover | EU & Schengen zone, as well as 6 weeks in home country after 1 year on the policy | Two options: |
Option to switch to public or private health in Germany | ✅ | ✅ |
Age limit for signup | Up to 75 years, and expires once you turn 75 | Up to 70 years Note: sign up is until age of 70, but if you signed up before this, you can continue the policy without any time limit. |
Sick pay | X | X |
Long term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) | X | X |
Cancellation policy | Monthly | Monthly |
If you would like to sign up for our expat health insurance, you can do so here.
If you would like to sign up for our long term health insurance, you can do so here.
If you have any further questions, please reach out to us via our support page.