Comparing supplementary health insurance 2023 | CHECK24 (2023)

The most important things summarized

• The achievements ofstatutory health insurance companiespointsignificant gapswhich is why insured persons often have to pay part or all of the costs themselves. OneSupplementary health insurance closes these gaps.
• DieServicesof supplementary health insurancepartly higherthan for members of private comprehensive health insurance (PKV).
• Which supplementary health insurance is right for youmost worthwhile depends on your personal life situationand your needs.
• Depending on your age, your state of health and the desired scope of services, you will receive oneSupplementary health insurance for less than €5 per month.
• Since insurance usually does not pay for treatments that have already been recommended, you should select your desired supplementary health insuranceif possible before the occurrence of a claimconclude.
• Before taking out supplementary health insurance, you shouldcomprehensive insurance comparisontake place in order to find the most suitable tariff for you.

Table of contents

1. What is supplementary health insurance?
2. supplementary hospital insurance
3. Supplementary health practitioner insurance
4. Additional glasses insurance
5. Outpatient supplementary insurance
6. supplementary dental insurance
7. Supplementary care insurance
8. international health insurance
9. Which supplementary health insurance makes sense for you?
10. For whom is which supplementary health insurance worthwhile?
11. How much does supplementary health insurance cost?
12. Supplementary health insurance without medical examination
13. Free health insurance comparison
14. Frequently Asked Questions

What is supplementary health insurance?

Supplemental health insurance is private insurancein addition to the basic care provided by statutory health insurance(GKV) can be completed. This way, you can get access to it at low costServices that are otherwise only available to private patientsare provided. Depending on your personal needs, you can take out different types of supplementary insurance. In this way, you receive exactly the services that are important to you.

Below we explain the most common supplementary health insurance policies.

supplementary hospital insurance

With aKrankenhauszusatz­versicherungprotect yourself in the event of a hospital stay. The so-called inpatient supplementary insurance ensures you benefits that go beyond the statutory basic care of the health insurance company.

These include, for example:

• Head doctor treatment / free choice of doctor
• Single or double room
• Unlimited medical fees

If you do not receive additional services during a hospital stay or if the facility cannot offer them, the insurance company usually pays a daily allowance. Without insurance, you can also claim the corresponding services, but you have to bear the costs yourself. Accommodation in a 1-bed room alone costs around €150 per day.

Supplementary health practitioner insurance

Statutory health insurance companies usually do not pay for alternative medicine therapies. Anyone who has health problems and would like to be treated by a naturopath or a doctor specializing in naturopathic treatment should thereforeHeilpraktikerzusatz­versicherungconclude.

Depending on the tariff, such insurance pays for:

• osteopathy
• homeopathy
• Acupuncture
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

These insurance companies usually reimburse a fixed percentage of the costs up to an annual maximum amount. In the most powerful tariffs in our comparison, this is around €1,000. Many alternative practitioner insurance policies also cover visual aids, check-ups and vaccinations.

Additional glasses insurance

In the case of adults, the statutory health insurance companies only contribute to the costs of glasses if there is a severe visual impairment. In all other cases, invoices must be withoutAdditional glasses insurancebe paid by yourself.

Appropriate tariffs reimburse the cost of:

• glasses
• Prescription sunglasses
• contact lenses
• Laser Eye Surgery (Lasik)

As a rule, supplementary glasses insurance covers the costs up to a maximum amount (e.g. €300 every 2 years). The maximum amount differs depending on the tariff.

Outpatient supplementary insurance

Although regular check-ups and vaccinations can help to stay healthy in old age, the statutory health insurance does not always pay for such treatments and not for all age groups. Onesupplementary outpatient insurancehelps you with health care.

In addition to the costs for alternative medicine, vision aids and Lasik surgeries, it covers costs for:

• Advanced cancer screening
• stroke prevention
• Child and youth care
• prenatal care

For these vaccinations, the insurance often pays:

• Grippes (Flu)
• Hepatitis A/B
• yellow fever
• Malariaprophylaxe

Reimbursement is usually made up to an annual maximum. This is usually between €100 and €500 per year.

supplementary dental insurance

High-quality dentures are expensive and health insurance companies only pay half of basic medical care. A privatesupplementary dental insuranceprotects you from high costs at the dentist.

Supplemental dental insurance covers, among other things, for:

• High-quality dentures (implants, crowns and bridges)
• Dental treatments (fillings, root canal treatments and periodontal treatments)
• Professional teeth cleaning

Tariffs that also cover orthodontic treatment are also useful for children and young people.

Supplementary care insurance

If you need care in old age or after an accident, you and your relatives have to reckon with a high personal contribution. With sometimes more than 2,000 € per month, accommodation in a nursing home causes particularly high costs. The costs for the accommodation are independent of your care needs. With aSupplementary care insuranceyou can protect yourself and your family from high costs.

The supplementary long-term care insurance provides benefits for:

• care in the home
• Care at home (including care by relatives)
• care placement

If you opt for long-term care insurance, we recommend that you take out a tariff with a monthly payment of at least €1,200. Depending on the proportion of care costs that you can bear yourself, it may be sufficient to take out care insurance with a low payment. The less the insurance pays out, the lower your monthly contributions are usually.

international health insurance

Even on vacation, it can happen that you get sick or have an accident. Statutory or private health insurance does not always pay abroad. Health insurance in other European countries usually only covers treatments that are also available to insured persons in the holiday country. Outside of Europe, health insurance usually does not pay at allinternational health insurancesteps in if medical expenses are incurred while on holiday.

For example, it provides for:

• Ambulance transport to the place of residence
• Outpatient and inpatient treatments
• Painkilling dental treatments

If desired, foreign or travel health insurance can also be taken out for individual trips.

Which supplementary health insurance makes sense for you?

In principle, all supplementary health insurance fulfills the purpose that those with statutory health insurance can secure themselves beyond the range of services provided by their GKV. Whether an insurance makes sense for you, always depends on yourpersonal desires and needsab.

This is how it protects youHeilpraktikerzusatz­versicherungamong other things from the high costs of alternative treatment methods.

If you don't value alternative medicine and instead want the best possible care during a hospital stay, completing one is an optionKrankenhaus­zusatz­versicherungmakes more sense to you.

Because eyes often deteriorate with age, oneAdditional glasses insuranceThis is particularly useful if you would like to regularly receive subsidies for new glasses.

Since, due to the increasing life expectancy, around every second German will need care in the course of his life, the conclusion is also oneSupplementary care insuranceoften useful.

For whom is which supplementary health insurance worthwhile?

In principle, any supplementary health insurance is worthwhile if there is a potential for youcase of performance can occur. Applies to the various insurance companiesat least one of the above pointstowards you, it may be worth concluding a corresponding tariff.

• supplementary hospital insurance

  • As a public health insurance patient, you want to have the opportunity tochoose hospitalthat offers exactly the treatment and therapy you need.
  • You want to be in the hospital in oneSingle or double roomto be accommodated.
  • You want to be free to choosewhich doctorShe treats (e.g. chief physician or specialist).
  • you want frommore modern treatmentsbenefit that are not covered by statutory health insurance.
  • You want onesmooth healing processand improve your future quality of life.
  • If your child has to be hospitalized as an inpatient, you want yoursaccompany childand give him 24/7 security (insurance must then be taken out for your child).

• Supplementary health practitioner insurance

  • You want regularnaturopathic servicesor alternative medical treatments.
  • Costs incurred forOsteopathy, massages, homeopathy, chiropractic and/or acupunctureshould be (partially) reimbursed to you.
  • cost of prescribedMedicines and dressingsare to be taken over in part.

• Additional glasses insurance

  • You want to be on a regular basisGrants for a new visual aidreceived – even for prescription sunglasses.
  • HerCorrective lenses need to be regularly repaired or replacedbecome.
  • Your health insurance subsidizes the costs of your visual aids based on yourdioptersnot.
    This is the case when…
    • ... you wear glasses and your diopter value is below 6.25.
    • … you wear contact lenses and your diopter value is below 8.00.
    • … you have astigmatism and wear glasses, but your vision is over 30% or your dioptre is under 4.25.
    • … you have astigmatism and wear contact lenses that do not improve your vision by at least 20% compared to glasses.

• Outpatient supplementary insurance

  • You take regularlyVorsorge­untersuchungentrue, which are not or only partially covered by health insurance.
  • you want yourselfall around for health treatmentsassure.

• supplementary dental insurance

  • They expect you to have one soonrequire extensive dental treatment, a treatment recommendation from the dentist has not yet been made.
  • They regularly leave oneprofessional tooth cleaningcarry out.
  • In the past you wouldalready treated on the teethand the costs of replacing your dentures or fillings should be covered.
  • They haveno previous illnessesand want to receive the best possible care when treatment is needed.

• Supplementary care insurance

  • You want yoursSavings not for retirement careuse up.
  • They don't want yourschildren or their relativeshave to pay for the costs of your subsequent care.
  • You want to stand in front of theCost of an accident-related need for careprotection.
  • You want thatcost of your carepartially or even completely taken over.

• international health insurance

  • You kick oneTravel abroad in Europeand would like increased insurance protection.
  • You kick oneTravel outside the EUan.
  • they doregular vacations in other countries.

How much does supplementary health insurance cost?

Depending on your age and your state of health as well as the insured benefits, you will receive supplementary health insurancealready for a few € per month. The higher the benefits that the supplementary health insurance you have chosen offers, the higher your costs. There is also the possibility that you choose a tariff in whichaging provisionsare formed. Such tariffs aremore expensive at the beginningthan tariffs without aging provisions, howeverage-related premium increasesthrough the provisionsexcluded.

In general:The later you take out supplementary health insurance, the higher your monthly contributions will be. If you pay your premiums annually instead of monthly, some insurers offer additional benefits.

The CHECK24 comparison tells you immediately what costs you have to reckon with for your personal tariff.

Supplementary health insurance without medical examination

As a rule, you must take out supplementary health insurance in order to take out additional health insuranceFirst, short questions about your current state of healthrespond. In exceptional cases, the result of the survey can lead to the insurance company rejecting your application for insurance, excluding benefits or charging a risk surcharge. For example, if you suffer from a chronic or particularly serious illness.

Tariffs without health examinationwaive the self-assessment. You can also conclude such a tariff if you suffer from several previous illnesses that would otherwise prevent the conclusion of a contract. However, the services of such tariffs are usually limited. Benefits that are related to previous illnesses are usually excluded from insurance cover.

The assumption that the insurance company will not know anything about your previous illnesses without a medical examination is wrong.Insurance companies become particularly skeptical when a claim occurs shortly after the conclusion of the contract. In this case, the insurer will contact the treating physicians. If the insurer receives the information that the treatment was recommended before the conclusion of the contract, he will refuse the benefit. If you would like advice before you apply for insurance, our insurance experts will be happy to help you.

In some cases you canHealth check even with a pre-existing conditionconsist. Due to performance limitations, you should clickTariffs without health examination onlythen fall back if you areotherwise do not insurecan.

Free health insurance comparison

With the online comparison from CHECK24 you canseveral hundred different tariffs for supplementary health insurancecompare. Many of the tariffs canonline immediatelybe completed. If you wish, you can first register before concluding a contractnon-binding offerrequest.

If you have any questions about supplementary health insurance, need information about a special tariff or would like a personal consultation, please call us. Our independent experts for supplementary health insurance will advise you individually on your situation and find the best possible tariff for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Which supplementary health insurance is the best?

  There is no generally correct answer to this question, since you have supplementary health insuranceonly then completeshould if youpotentially also receive benefitsbecome.

  If, for example, your professional situation or your free time with ahigh risk of injuryto be connected is the conclusion of aSupplementary hospital insurance makes sense for you.

  Instead, value italternative medical treatments, we recommend completing oneSupplementary health practitioner insurance.

  Do you needa new pair of glasses regularly, you can sign up by completing oneBrillenzusatz­versicherungsecure regular grants.

  Don't profitof the respective services, is also the completion of the correspondingInsurance not advisable.

  Which supplementary health insurance is the best always depends on yourindividual circumstances and needsab.

• Which costs does the statutory health insurance cover for dentures and which does not?

  Statutory health insurance only reimburses60% of the costfor the so-called standard care. This is a treatment that provides you with as much care as necessary and as cheaply as possible. Expensive treatments such as gap closure with an implant are not provided for by the GKV. In this case, you will usually receive a three-unit bridge instead of an implant.

  You can also receive expensive treatments without additional dental insurance, but the health insurance company only covers part of the costs that it would have covered for standard care. TheThe difference is often more than €1,000.

• Can I take out supplementary health insurance for my whole family?

  Supplementary health insurance isindividual contracts. Every policyholder therefore needs oneown tarifffor his personal security. This is because each insured person has an individual insurance risk that has to be assessed by the insurance company.

  However, of course it is possible that you forEach family member has their own insuranceconclude. There are separate contributions for each family member.

• Which services are not covered by supplementary health practitioner and glasses insurance?

  • Benefits during the waiting period (except in the event of an accident).
  • Benefits for treatments that were recommended or started before the conclusion of the contract.
  • The portion of a service that exceeds the time-related maximum reimbursement limit.

• What are typical health questions that I have to answer in the health check?

  Depending on the insurance you want to take out, the insurance company is interested in other aspects. The health issues are not limited to your physical health. In order to assess your personal insurance risk, you will often be asked about your professional situation.

  For the conclusion of some contracts, the insurer also asks whether you have recently received psychotherapeutic treatment.

  Common health questions are:

  • Questions about your height and weight
  • Are you currently receiving medical treatment or is treatment advisable?
  • Do you suffer from an allergy?
  • Have you received medical treatment within the last 5 years?
  • Do you suffer from epilepsy?
  • Have you been treated as an inpatient in a hospital in the last 5 years?

• Do supplementary health insurances also pay abroad, so that I can do without international health insurance?

  It is not uncommon for supplementary health insurance to payalso for services that you receive abroad. You can find out whether this is also the case in your tariff in the tariff details or in a personal conversation with the supplementary health care experts at CHECK24. If you already know in advance that you want to receive benefits abroad, you should still secure yourself and thePayment of costs before the start of the tripdiscuss with your insurer.

  When receiving benefits abroad, you should always use one if possiblerequest a detailed bill from the doctor. Without proof of costs, no insurance will pay for the treatment.

  One of the most important services during stays abroad is theMedical repatriation to Germany. The only insurance companies that pay for this are theKrankenhauszusatz­versicherungenandAuslandskranken­versicherungen. However, since international health insurance also offers services such as the assumption of rescue costs that are not covered by other insurances, you should consider themwhenever possible when traveling abroadconclude.

• What is the difference between private health insurance and private supplementary health insurance?

  Private health insurance is an alternative model to statutory health insurance, which offers increased benefits, but to certainrequirementsis tied. That's how it isPrivate health insuranceespecially forCivil servants, the self-employed and employees with a particularly high annual incomeintended.

  Private supplementary health insuranceare howeverexclusively for members of the GKVwho want to extend their insurance coverage. You can therefore conclude the tariffs in addition to your statutory health insurance. This allows you to receive benefits that are very similar to, or even exceed, those of private health insurance.

  Members of private health insurance can only be legally insured again under strict conditions.Private Krankenzusatz­versicherungencan, howeverjust quitif the insurance cover is no longer required. However, notice periods and minimum terms apply.

• Does supplementary health insurance cover the costs of medication?

  Some tariffs ofSupplementary health practitioner insuranceoffer one in their catalog of servicesPartial reimbursement of medicines and bandagesthat have been prescribed by a naturopath. These are from thestatutory health insurance usually notaccepted.

  Some supplementary outpatient insurance policies also offer theReimbursement of Prescription Fees. As a legally insured person without additional insurance, you must pay 10% of the costs incurred, but at least €5 and a maximum of €10 per prescription.

  Reimbursement of prescription fees means that in the case of medication prescribed by a doctor, youstatutory co-payment itselfpay. After you have submitted the pharmacy bill to your supplementary insurance company, you will receive yourMoney refunded by insurance.

  Without a doctor's prescription, medication cannot be reimbursed by supplementary health insurance.

More questions & encyclopedia

You can find more questions about the various supplementary health insurances inour FAQ.

If you are looking for explanations of terms, you can find them inour lexiconfind.