Health Insurance / Medical Care
General Information
German Law requires all students and visitors in Germany to have sufficient health insurance. The insurance should provide unlimited coverage of all medical expenses.
Please note: No insurance inevitably means no registration at any German university. Proof of health insurance is also necessary to obtain temporary residence permit.
German Health Insurance System
The German health insurance system differentiates between public insurance companies ("gesetzliche Krankenkassen") and private companies ("private Krankenkassen").
In general, all students who are going to enrol at university are eligible for public health insurance.
Exceptions:
- Students over 30 years of age and students who have already completed their 14th semester. They have to take out voluntary insurance ("freiwillige Versicherung") at a public insurance company.
- Students who are not fully registered, i.e. students at preparatory courses, guest researchers, participiants in the German language courses. They have to get private health insurance.
Private patients will be billed personally; they have to pay the bill themselves and can later submit the bill to their insurance and get reimbursed. Private insurance companies usually refuse to cover the costs for medical treatment of chronic diseases that existed before entering Germany.
Public insurances pay all standard treatments of their clients directly if they show their insurance card before a consultation.
Students from countries which have a social security agreement with Germany
Students from EU countries and from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Island, Israel, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia and Turkey can be freed from the health insurance fees in Germany. They only need to bring proof of health insurance cover taken in their home countries.
Therefore, before coming to Germany, students should go to their insurance and ask for the country specific forms (e.g. E128, E111 or equivalent). Students from EU member countries should obtain the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from the relevant health authority in their home country.
Bosnia-Herzegovina form BH6
Croatia form D/HR111
Israel form D/ISR111
Macedonia form JU6
Montenegro form JU6
Serbia form JU6
Slovenia form D111
Switzerland form D11
Tunisia form A/TN11
Turkey form A/T11
Citizens of EU EHIC or form E128 or form E111
After arriving in Germany, students from the countries mentioned above should present their EHIC or the equivalent form to a German public insurance company (see list below). A document will then be issued which states that the student is freed from the mandatory health insurance fees. This document must be shown at matriculation.
The selected German health insurance company will then be responsible for you during your stay. It will provide you with a Health Insurance Card and will cover you on terms almost identical to those of German students.
If you need to visit a doctor, you have to go to a public health insurance, show your E128 or equivalent and obtain a health insurance certificate ("Krankenschein") which is to be presented at a consultation. The doctor will then send the bill to the public health insurance company which in turn will claim the money from the insurance in the student's home country. In case of emergency, you can go to the doctor first and get the insurance certificate afterwards.
The certificate is valid for three months, a so-called "quarter" (i.e. January - March / April - June / July - September / October to December), but only if you go to see the same doctor within the same quarter. If you have to see a different doctor or specialist, you have to get a new certificate. At your first visit each quarter, you have to pay a so-called "practice fee" ("Praxisgebühr") of €10 in cash. Make sure to keep the receipt.
Students who have private health insurance at home which they want to use in Germany
Students or visitors with private health insurance from their home country need to bring a confirmation in English or German stating that it covers all costs (without any coverage limit!) in case of medical treatment and rehabilitation during their stay in Germany. With this document they can go to any public health insurance and apply for exemption.
Please note: Once you have received exemption, you cannot get into a public health insurance at a later time!
Before making this decision you should also consider the following points:
- The Foreigner's Department ("Ausländerbehörde") requires proof that the home insurance company will fully reimburse or recognize the costs incurred in Germany.
- Your home insurance may not cover 100% of the costs of your treatments, which can be very high, but only a certain share.
- You will always have to pay your medical bills first before you can submit the bill to your insurance company to get reimbursed.
Therefore we do not recommend the use of the private health insurance, as most other countries do not offer the same insurance cover as in Germany (it is strongly advisable to obtain exact information from the home insurance company before leaving your home country).
Students without health insurance in their home country
Students who are not insured in their home country must take out an insurance policy at the company of their choice.
Family Members
If members of your family (spouse, children) accompany you to Germany, they may, under certain circumstances, be insured with you without any extra cost. To be able to benefit from this arrangement, the family members must take their first (or customary) place of residence in Germany.
Seeing a Doctor or Dentist / Hospital Treatment
In many countries it is customary to go to the ambulance at a hospital first if you get ill. In Germany, you only go to the ambulance in cases of emergency or at nights or weekends, when the doctors' offices are closed.
Everybody should have a general practitioner/family doctor. You should find a doctor for yourself before you get sick. A list of doctors with special language abilities can be found on an information leaflet that is available in the AAA. Probably the best way is a recommendation by a friend or neighbour.
In order to treat patients of public insurance companies, doctors need to have a contract with those companies. Outside of the doctor's practice/surgery, there is usually a sign saying "Alle Kassen". This means that the doctor is treating patients of all health insurance companies. If it says "Privatpraxis", even clients of public health insurances will be treated as private patients, i.e. they have to pay their bills themselves, but they will only get a small part refunded by their insurance. If for any reason you need to see a private practitioner, go and talk to your insurance before!
To be able to benefit from all medical care, treatment and preventive measures offered by the health insurance system, you will be asked to present the doctor or dentist your health insurance card (members of public health insurances) or your health insurance confirmation ("Krankenschein" - E 128) at your first visit each "quarter" (i.e. January - March / April - June / July - September / October to December).
At your first visit each quarter, you also have to pay the so-called "practice fee" ("Praxisgebühr") of €10 in cash. Make sure you keep the receipt!
If you need to see a specialist, you should obtain a referral ("Überweisung") from your general practitioner/family doctor first. If you present the referral and the receipt of the payment of the practice fee, you do not have to pay the € 10,- again during the same quarter. The specialist can also refer you to another specialist.
It is not possible to make referrals to dentists. You have to pay the practice fee at a dentist's practice/surgery - even if you have paid it at another doctor's practice before in the same quarter.
Exemptions from the € 10 doctor’s practice fee: dental checkups, immunization, preventive medical check-ups, pregnancy check-ups.
For in-hospital treatment, you have to make a co-payment of € 10,- a day. Maximum is for 28 days in a calendar year.
Medication
You will receive all medically required drugs. They are obtained from dispensing pharmacies ("Apotheke").Your insurance will not pay for prescription-free drugs.
The co-payment for prescribed drugs is 10% of the sales price. However, you only need to pay a maximum of €10,- for a drug. The minimum co-payment is € 5,- (except for drugs which cost less than € 5,-).
The co-payment for drugs should not exceed 2% of your gross income (1 % in case of a severe chronic illness). A student, for instance, who has an income of € 500,-/month will pay a maximum of € 120,- for drugs during one year. In other words, should you need more drugs than mentioned before, you have the right to be exempted from additional charges. Your insurance company will be able to assist you further.
Insurance Companies in Siegen
You can find names and addresses of local health insurance companies and the private companies by entering the terms “Krankenkassen Siegen” or “Auslandsversicherung” in a search engine on the internet.
The major public insurance companies provide useful information on their websites.
These are the major ones:
The International Office provides broschures and application forms of various private insurance companies that offer special plans for international students, German Language Course students and researchers.
On Campus: AOK – Studenten Service Siegen
The AOK student office is located in the University main building (AR) very close to the “Mensa”. Every day a representative of the AOK is available for students from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.