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INSURANCE

EXPLAINED: Which German insurance do you need for accidents?

While German health insurance will pay for your medical treatments if you have an accident, several other costs may not be covered. This is where 'Unfallversicherung' – or accident insurance – can come in.

Published: 21 June 2023 18:27 CEST
EXPLAINED: Which German insurance do you need for accidents?
A cyclist rides in a bike lane in downtown Karlsruhe. While cycling on your commute is covered on your workplace accident insurance, it isn't in your free time. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Uli Deck

The flip side of having so many types of possible insurance in a risk-averse country like Germany is that it can be complicated to figure out what’s covered and when. This is particularly true if you have an accident that leaves you unable to work – either temporarily or permanently.

If you’re employed in Germany and covered through a public insurer like TK or AoK, you will typically already be covered for any accidents that may happen in the course of your duties. In addition to your health insurer, your employer will also typically have to have accident insurance that covers all employees if something happens to them while at work. This insurance usually covers employees on their way to and from work as well – with coverage lasting from the time they leave their home for work to the moment they return.

This occupational insurance will also typically cover workplace illnesses as well, should there be any.

But what happens if you have an accident in your private time, and thus it’s not covered by your workplace-related insurance? This can be particularly relevant for people who drive a lot outside work or take part in extreme sports.

If an accident like that happens, your health insurance will cover the medical treatments you need for acute injuries. But you may end up being on the hook for other costs. These can include the need to make your home accessible or benefit payments if the accident is expected to leave you off work, either for a long period of time or even permanently.

Health insurance cards from statutory insurer AOK.

Health insurance cards from statutory insurer AOK. German health insurance will pay your medical bills if you have an accident. But many other costs could leave you out of pocket. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Karl-Josef Hildenbrand

If you’re left unable to work, private accident insurance will typically pay you daily allowances so that you can continue to support yourself financially. If you’re left permanently unable to work, you will typically receive an invalidity benefit.

Depending on what the accident involves, you may also be on the hook for the cost of search and rescue operations or even plastic or dental surgery.

Private accident insurance – or Unfallversicherung – can step in to cover these costs if you’ve taken out a policy. If you happen to die in the accident, it will also pay out a death benefit to your loved ones to help fund funeral costs, for example.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about the complicated world of German insurance

What if I’m not able to work due to illness and not an accident?

A more comprehensive – and typically more expensive – version of accident insurance is Berufsunfähigkeitversicherung, which replaces the income of someone who becomes completely unable to practice their profession. People in higher-risk professions like builders or doctors may have this type of insurance. If they become unable to work anymore, this insurance will pay out their salaries until they reach retirement age.

However, this type of insurance also covers someone if they become unable to work due to illness as well as accidents. Accident insurance, by contrast, will only pay out daily allowances or invalidity benefits if you become unable to work due to an accident, rather than an illness.

Although Berufsunfähigkeitversicherung is more comprehensive, it’s also a lot more expensive. It’s difficult to get a premium for less that about €25 a month, and the income replacement rates are very low. Policies with higher payout rates in the event of being unable to work anymore can run you over €100 per month.

By contrast, many accident insurance plans are available for a base rate of around €9.50 a month. Many more comprehensive plans with a high degree of protection are available for €15-€20 per month.

READ ALSO: How to make the most of reward schemes on your German health insurance

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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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