Our Expat health insurance covers new medical conditions that begin after your policy start date, subject to waiting periods, and does not cover pre-existing conditions. Both the Basic Cover and Premium Cover plans include outpatient, inpatient, and hospital treatment, with Premium Cover adding higher limits and benefits such as routine pregnancy care, preventive screenings, and vaccinations after a 6-month waiting period. This article compares the two plans across each benefit area and lists what is not covered.
What medical treatments are covered under Expat health insurance (Basic Cover and Premium Cover)?
Our Expat health insurance covers new medical conditions where symptoms first begin after your policy start date, subject to the applicable waiting periods. Pre-existing conditions are not covered, though you still qualify for the insurance and would pay out of pocket for care related to them.
Both the Basic Cover and Premium Cover plans include:
Outpatient appointments with registered doctors, including general practitioners (Hausarzt) and specialists such as cardiologists and endocrinologists
Inpatient and outpatient hospital treatment
Medications prescribed by a doctor registered in the EU or Schengen area
Surgeries and surgical dressings
Ambulance transport, but only when it leads to inpatient admission
Medically necessary repatriation and repatriation of mortal remains
Radiation and light therapy
Telemedicine consultations — 1 free consultation without copay on Basic Cover, and 2 free consultations without copay on Premium Cover
What dental treatment is covered under Basic Cover and Premium Cover?
All dental treatment must relate to a new condition that begins after your policy start date. Coverage differs by plan:
Basic Cover: up to €500 per year for pain-relieving dental treatment, such as fillings or denture repairs.
Premium Cover: up to €1,000 per year for pain-relieving dental treatment. After 6 months on the plan, Premium Cover also includes up to €200 per year for dental check-ups, up to €100 per year for dental cleanings, and dentures up to €1,250 per year reimbursed at 80%.
What physiotherapy and medical aids and equipment are covered under each plan?
Physiotherapy must have a referral from a doctor, relate to a new medical condition, and be administered by an accredited physiotherapist. Chiropractors and osteopaths are treated as alternative providers and are not covered.
Basic Cover: up to €300 per year for physiotherapy.
Premium Cover: physiotherapy covered with no annual limit.
Medical aids and equipment coverage also differs by plan:
Basic Cover: therapeutic aids only when required following an accident, up to €500 per year. There is no general coverage for aids or equipment.
Premium Cover: medically necessary aids and equipment up to €500 per year with prior approval, repairs to existing aids up to €250 per year, and visual aids such as glasses or contact lenses after a vision change of 0.5 or more dioptres, up to €200.
What pregnancy and maternity care is covered under each plan?
Coverage differs by plan, and the pregnancy must begin after your policy start date.
Basic Cover: treatment for unexpected pregnancy-related complications, medically necessary abortion, and premature birth up to the 36th week. Routine pregnancy check-ups and delivery are not covered.
Premium Cover: pregnancy check-ups and delivery are covered after a 6-month waiting period. For example, if you become pregnant 3 months after your policy starts, you wait 3 more months to complete the 6-month waiting period, and you can then claim for check-ups and delivery that occur after the waiting period ends.
Post-natal care and additional midwife services are not covered under either plan. For children under 18 on Premium Cover, the mandatory child check-ups (U1–U9) are covered, excluding vaccinations.
What preventive screenings, care, and vaccinations are covered under each plan?
Preventive care is limited on Basic Cover and expanded on Premium Cover.
Basic Cover: 3 rapid antigen tests for COVID.
Premium Cover, after 6 months on the plan: cancer screenings in line with the recommended guidelines in Germany, up to €300 per year; 1 fully covered annual skin cancer check; mandatory child check-ups U1–U9, excluding vaccinations; travel vaccinations up to €250; COVID vaccinations up to €100; 5 rapid antigen tests for COVID; and a €5 per month allowance for fitness and health apps. Preventive dental check-ups and cleanings are also covered on Premium Cover after 6 months — see the dental coverage above for the amounts.
What travel cover is included?
Your Expat health insurance covers medical treatment, as described above, throughout the European Union and the Schengen Area, as well as Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. The United Kingdom is excluded. Coverage applies for trips of up to 90 days, with no limit on the number of trips per year.
After 12 months on the policy, you also receive the same level of coverage for up to 6 weeks of travel per year to your home country, defined as the country of your last residence as declared at sign-up.
What is not covered by Expat health insurance?
The following services and treatments are excluded under both plans:
Any medical condition that existed or was known before the policy start date (pre-existing conditions)
Preventive and prophylactic treatments not explicitly listed as covered
Psychoanalytical and psychotherapeutic treatments
General vaccinations, except travel and COVID vaccinations covered under Premium Cover
Vitamins and nutritional supplements, even if prescribed
Treatment for addictive disorders
Ambulance transport unless it results in inpatient hospital admission
Allied-health and alternative treatments other than medically prescribed physiotherapy. This means we do not cover the following therapies: chiropractic treatment, osteopathy, occupational therapy, podiatry (medical foot care), dietetics and nutritional counseling, speech therapy, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, and naturopathy.
Self-harm or self-inflicted injuries
Medical certificates that are not medically necessary, such as sick notes or medical clearance for sports
Fertility and sterility treatments
Holistic or alternative therapies