Figuring out German private health insurance can be challenging, especially when you have existing health conditions. Let's talk about why and how health conditions affect your options, and how Feather will support you with taking the right choice!
Why existing health conditions affect your options
If you need medical treatment, your insurance provider will cover you through the pool of money that they collect through everyone's monthly contributions. Of course, they have to make sure there's enough funding to cover everyone's bills. To get a rough idea of how much funding is needed in the future, every private insurance provider checks the medical history when someone applies for coverage.
Depending on the personal health risk, this can lead to:
Risk surcharges
It's applied if further treatment is likely, like for a permanently injured knee, or if other health issues are likely to arise. Risk surcharges may be combined with exclusions.
Exclusion of coverage
You benefit from a low monthly cost and pay out of pocket for treatments related to your existing condition, like the replacement of a missing tooth.
Denial of coverage
For the following conditions and treatments: asthma, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, cancer, diabetes, ADHD, mental health conditions, and recent or longer-term psychotherapy, or other (combinations of) diagnoses. If certain treatments are planned or ongoing, the coverage may also be denied.
Full coverage at the lowest possible cost
Not all conditions result in changes! And most of the time, you can even save some money compared to public health insurance, which is often more expensive.
If it turns out that a condition was omitted from the application, providers don't hesitate to cancel the coverage. Since switching to another insurance afterward is quite the challenge, it's really best to disclose all conditions from the start.
Here is how Feather will help you
So, you're already set on private health insurance ... but you're not so sure about your eligibility? Don't worry: our team will check your eligibility within 1-3 days if you apply for coverage through us.
If all is well, your coverage is activated automatically. If changes are suggested, you'll receive step-by-step guidance to make the right decision. And if you can't be covered but really need health insurance, we'll help you check for other options such as expat or public health insurance.