Health Insurance for Retirees

Retirees who had statutory health insurance in the EU remain insured with their statutory health insurance fund in their country of origin. Immigrants and persons returning from abroad who were privately insured or not insured at all must take out private insurance. Those who cannot afford regular private health insurance should insure themselves privately under the “basic tariff” (Basistarif).

Retirees with statutory health insurance in the EU
Retirees who had statutory health insurance in an EU country who move to Germany remain members of their statutory health insurance fund in their country of origin. If they wish to stay in Germany permanently, they must obtain form E121 from their statutory health insurance fund and submit it to a statutory health insurance fund in Germany. They can choose any statutory health insurance fund in Germany.

Retirees receive a healthcare card and are entitled to the same medical care in Germany as all members of statutory health insurance funds. The German statutory health insurance fund pays for the medical care and then settles the costs with the health insurance fund in the country of origin.

Privately insured retirees
Retirees who were privately insured in their country of origin are considered private patients in Germany. They must pay their medical bills themselves and settle the treatment costs with their private health insurance provider abroad. Privately insured persons should therefore check the conditions of their health insurance policy before moving to Germany and talk to the private health insurance company in their country of origin.

Whether private health insurance will pay for services in Germany depends on the individual health insurance contract. In many contracts, payment is only made if a “foreign country agreement” was entered into beforehand. In any case, private health insurance will only pay according to the terms and conditions specified in the contract. You should therefore inform your health insurance provider about the move and ask about reimbursement arrangements.

Private health insurance under the “Basistarif”
Anyone who moves to Germany and falls outside the statutory health insurance system must take out private insurance. However, this is often not possible for older people and people with pre-existing conditions. In these cases, private health insurance companies will not enter into a contract for a standard insurance policy (called tariffs in Germany).

Private health insurance companies are nevertheless obligated to accept all persons who live in Germany and belong to the private insurance sector. For these people they offer a “basic tariff” (Basistarif). The benefits offered are comparable to the benefits offered by statutory health insurance. Private health insurance companies are not allowed to reject applications by people who qualify to be insured under this tariff. Risk surcharges and exclusions from benefits are not permitted.

Persons who qualify for the “basic tariff” should contact a private health insurance company of their choice and apply for health insurance under the “basic tariff”. The insurance company will then examine the application and ask for the applicant to undergo a medical examination. The insurance company covers the costs of the examination. This examination does not change the obligation to accept the application, nor the amount of the premiums.

The premiums for the “basic tariff” must not exceed the maximum contribution for statutory health insurance. Currently the contribution is around 807,98 euros. Those who cannot afford the premiums should contact the office responsible for basic social security (Grundsicherung).