Are you moving to Germany and confused about your health insurance options? Or are you wondering why you need to pay large sums each month into a social health care system that you’re not planning to use in old age? Then Feather’s short-term private health tariff may be just right for you.
We’ve designed this policy specifically with expats from outside the EU/EEA in mind. It’s meant for people who are planning to stay in Germany for a relatively short time—a period of up to five years.
How can we keep the price low?
Your monthly premiums stay low because there are no payments to old age savings reserves (Alterungsrückstellungen). These reserves are meant to keep private insurance affordable as customers get older—and a significant portion of a monthly private health insurance premium usually goes toward these reserves.
But if you’re not planning on staying in Germany for too long, then these old age savings will likely be wasted money for you—and that’s where our short-term private health coverage comes in! By eliminating the old age savings component, this policy can give you comprehensive health insurance coverage at a much lower price.
And if your plans change and you decide to stay in Germany long-term, just let us know—you can choose to start paying into old age savings at a later time.
How does it work?
The standard short-term private health policy covers (among other things):
- Doctor and specialist treatments (with a free choice of doctor);
- Hospital stays and transports (including at private clinics);
- Naturopathy (certain limitations apply);
- 100% of vaccination costs recommended by STIKO;
- Pregnancy care, midwife and delivery costs;
- Radiotherapy treatments; and
- The use of digital health tools.
Please keep in mind that the basic policy does not cover preventive care treatments. But you’ll have the option to upgrade to the premium plan, which has certain key advantages, including:
- Coverage for vision aids;
- Coverage for standard preventive care treatments;
- Coverage for up to 25 psychotherapy sessions a year
- Stay in a private (rather than shared) hospital room
- Coverage for LASIK and other refractive eye surgeries
- Higher upper coverage limits for certain medical remedies and aids
Want to know more? Talk to an expert today.
Is dental care covered?
The Private Health Standard plan has no dental coverage, but you can purchase a dental insurance add-on when you sign up.
Is there a co-pay or deductible?
Both the standard and premium policies have a co-pay of 10% of cost for each outpatient treatment. The co-pay is eliminated once the annual deductible amount of €500 is reached. The co-pay does not apply for dental or inpatient treatments. You can read more about co-pays and deductibles on our FAQ.
Will my employer make health insurance contributions?
Yes! Just as with other comprehensive public and private health insurance policies, your employer is obligated to make a contribution. This will usually amount to half of your total health insurance premium.
Read more about employer contributions on our FAQ.
How much does it cost?
The actual cost of your policy will vary based on a number of factors, including age and current health status. Private Health Light starts at around €180/month. (As far as we know this is the cheapest The actual cost of your policy will vary based on a number of factors, including age and current health status. Our short-term private health plan starts at around €170/month. (As far as we know this is the cheapest comprehensive private health insurance plan for expats!)
How do I sign up?
To qualify for short-term private health insurance, you’ll need to fulfill a few basic eligibility requirements. First, you must be from outside the EU/EEA and do not have a permanent residence permit in Germany. If you’re employed, you must be earning over the legal minimum of €66,600 annually to apply for any type of private insurance. Freelancers can always choose private insurance, but may be rejected if their expected income is too low. (Generally, you’ll need to be earning over around €30,000/year to be eligible.)
Sounds good to you? Then you can sign up on the Feather site. The signup can be completed fully online and you’ll have your policy confirmed within a few days. In most cases, no health checks by a doctor are necessary.
