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HEALTH INSURANCE

What to know about Germany’s new health insurance fees for 2023

Like many aspects of life in Germany, public health insurance is also set to get more expensive starting in January 2023. Here’s how much more you could end up paying.

Published: 22 December 2022 18:00 CET
Updated: 1 January 2023 07:48 CET
Health insurance cards from AOK.
Health insurance cards from AOK. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Karl-Josef Hildenbrand

A total of 48 of the 97 statutory health insurers are raising premiums (zusätzliche Beiträge) in the new year, according to an evaluation by the comparison portal Check24. This means that 40.9 million people in Germany will face additional costs.

But just how expensive will it be in the end? According to Check24, premium adjustments could go up by 0.1 to 0.7 percentage points. It may not sound that much at first, but the price increase could cost employees up to €347 a year. 

The bill becomes even more expensive for the self-employed, since they foot 100 percent of the premium, whereas employees share it with their employer. That means those who work freiberuflich (freelance) could end up paying a whopping €693 extra per year. 

No notifications required

Many people who are gesetzlich versichert (have statutory health insurance) might not even realize that their costs are rising. As of January 1st, insurance companies will no longer have to personally send all of their customers a letter to inform them of any increase.

READ ALSO: German health insurance costs set to rise next year

Previously they were obliged to do so, but that requirement has been suspended until June 30th, 2023. Thus, every insured person should check what their health insurer will be charging from next year – especially the self-employed who have to shoulder the entire cost of their coverage. 

If your premiums are shooting up and you want to switch, it’s important to know your rights. Normally membership of at least 12 months is a prerequisite for changing provider – and there may also be deadlines for avoid contract renewals. But anyone who has received an increase has a Sonderkündigungsrecht, or a special right to cancel at any time without incurring extra fees.

Should you switch companies – and to which one?

“How high the additional costs end up being depends on how much your own health insurance company raises the premiums,” says Dr. Daniel Güssow, from Check24. 

“Even small premium adjustments can lead to sensitive additional costs for insured people. The only way to avoid higher premium payments is to switch to a cheaper health insurance company.”

If you’re looking to lower your costs, there’s still a handful of companies keeping their premiums consistent in the coming year. Twenty of the 97 statutory health insurance companies will keep their additional contribution the same as it was in 2022, benefiting a total 26 million members. 

READ ALSO: Reader question: How can I change my German health insurance provider?

Only three health insurers will lower their premium contribution for their 85,000 members.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest insurance companies which are raising their premiums. 

AOK Bavaria: The largest of 11 AOK groups, the Bavarian branch is hiking its premium by 0.28 percentage points to 1.58 percent. 

DAK-Gesundheit: DAK-Gesundheit will increase its premium to 1.7 percent in 2023. In 2022, the premium was 1.5 percent.

TK: Techniker Krankenkasse has already announced that it will leave its premium at 1.2 percent. 

AOK Baden-Württemberg : AOK Baden-Württemberg has decided to also raise its premium by 0.3 percentage points. This means that the additional contribution will rise from 1.3 percent to 1.6 percent.

Barmer: Barmer has said it does not want to raise its premium, with the total remaining at 1.5 percent. 

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HEALTH

How to find available therapists in Germany

It’s no secret that mental health care can be particularly tricky to access in Germany. Here are some helpful tips for anyone who is struggling to book an appointment for therapy.

Published: 23 April 2024 12:55 CEST
How to find available therapists in Germany

The process to find psychotherapy in Germany’s urban centres is arduous – licensed therapists often have impossibly long wait times, and private practices don’t accept public health insurance.

A major reason that public insurance funded mental health care is hard to find in Germany comes down to regulations. Specifically the ‘coverage plan’ (Bedarfsplanung) that basically limits the number of licences available for publicly insured therapists in a region.

Germany’s maddening bureaucracy probably won’t be fixed any time soon. So residents in need of therapy will need to find a way through the system as it is.

So here are a few helpful tips for finding therapists, as well as how publicly insured patients can have private practice therapy costs reimbursed.

Look for therapists enrolled at academies

You’ll probably have a better chance getting an appointment with therapists who are currently in training, because not everyone knows that this option exists.

You can search for “Akademie für Psychotherapie”, to find one in your location. The Berliner Akademie für Psychotherapie, is one in the capital city, for example.

If you arrange an appointment this way, you can expect to be connected with a grad student therapist in training who needs to complete their supervised practice hours. In this case, you would see your therapist as usual, and they will be going through your session with an experienced therapist afterward.

The main advantages to seeking a therapist in training is that it may be cheaper and you can probably more readily find an appointment. A potential disadvantage is that the therapist you’ll be seeing is less experienced. 

But according to a Stockholm University study, student therapists who receive regular feedback from supervisors may be just as effective as licensed therapists at treating patients.

How to get reimbursed for going to a private practice

As mentioned above, therapists covered by public health insurance are few and far between, especially in many urban centres, and therefore regularly come with long wait times. But for those willing to do battle with the bureaucracy, there is an option to have your costs reimbursed for seeing a private practice therapist.

Specifically, public insurance providers are obligated to provide full reimbursement of costs in the event of a “supply emergency”. 

Waiting times of more than three months are considered unreasonable. So generally, patients can claim a supply emergency if they have contacted several therapists, and none of them offered available appointments within that time frame.

But you’ll want to make sure that your process is properly documented so that you won’t be stuck with the out-of-pocket costs.

First, you’ll need to document your need for psychotherapy. To get this, make an appointment for a psychotherapeutic consultation with a practice in your area, and be sure to collect a written recommendation for treatment (a PTV 11 form). 

If you don’t know where to start with this, look to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung) for a database of therapists. You can also call 116 117 or use the 116 117 App.

After you’ve got your PTV 11 certificate, you’ll need to document your futile search for a licensed therapist. To do this, contact at least three to five therapists that have public health insurance approval. Keep a list of the names of therapists you contacted, as well as dates and times of contact and how long the waiting list for treatment is. 

Additionally, you should try to arrange treatment through the aforementioned Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, and receive confirmation if it’s not possible. So you’ll need to call 116 117, or use the 116 117 App again. But this time go through the process to have them try to find you placement with a therapist. This should take a maximum of four weeks, but rarely happens.

Finally, if you have documented all of the above and have still not found a readily available therapist, then you can seek out a private practice. You’ll need to enroll as a self-paying patient initially, but then you can submit an application for an outpatient reimbursement (Kostenerstattungsverfahren) along with the previously collected certificates and proof of your search. Private practice therapists are usually familiar with this process, and may be able to help you with the application as well.

READ ALSO: What are the main reasons internationals in Germany turn to therapy?

Free phone consultations for students

Students in Berlin can also take advantage of a free 50-minute conversation with a therapist through StudierendenWERK.

For students elsewhere, it’s worth checking what kind of mental health support services your school offers. Many German universities offer mental health support to some extent, and if school counsellors can’t provide the care that you need, they may be able to offer helpful information about where such services are available in your area.

READ ALSO: Here’s how you can get mental health help in English in Germany

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