Reply to: health insurance in Germany?

[BlasterBates]

If you are self-employed you can insure yourself as you wish. Effectively you pay your own bills and claim off the insurance. It´s your responsibility and there are no restrictions. It´s not like other countries such as Switzerland who force you to be insured. There´s no checks. The change in the law was to force private insurance companies to accept anyone and offer a minimum cover. There is no obligation on the individual. So if Bupa cover you, that´s fine.

[darmstadt]

Hey guys, I thought about starting a new thread but I think it's more appropriate to reply here since I got a similar problem.

I'm currently studying in Germany, but I see that the law doesn't really allows me to work as a freelance on a student visa, which is really bad cause I've been working from home on several projects and everything went fine.


And for the health insurance I don't know if you're a foreigner in Germany too but I picked this one Student Health Insurance in Germany - MAWISTA, it's meant for students so it's not very expensive.

About the freelance thing, do I have to wait until I finish my studies and then apply for a work visa?

It's all very complicated! If anyone found a solution to this please reply.

Studying and working part time waiter jobs is not my idea of good life, while I have skills to work from my campus for less time and better pay.

Search the Toytown site or ask there and I think you'll find your answer

[formant]

Hey guys, I thought about starting a new thread but I think it's more appropriate to reply here since I got a similar problem.

I'm currently studying in Germany, but I see that the law doesn't really allows me to work as a freelance on a student visa, which is really bad cause I've been working from home on several projects and everything went fine.


And for the health insurance I don't know if you're a foreigner in Germany too but I picked this one Student Health Insurance in Germany - MAWISTA, it's meant for students so it's not very expensive.

About the freelance thing, do I have to wait until I finish my studies and then apply for a work visa?

It's all very complicated! If anyone found a solution to this please reply.

Studying and working part time waiter jobs is not my idea of good life, while I have skills to work from my campus for less time and better pay.

Are you working for German or British clients? I worked for a lot of German clients during my university years in the UK (I'm German), and simply invoiced via my German tax registration, despite living abroad. So I paid tax on those jobs in Germany. Never got queried (I did take advice from a German accountant on this at the time, so I would hope I was doing things right). Just wondering if British clients would make freelancing possible for you.

I don't know anything about student visas and their limitations though. I'm surprised they don't allow freelance work.

[NicoleN]

Can anyone recommend a really simple and cheap barebones health plan for a freelancer in Germany. I heard that some guys were saving costs by getting insurance with international companies like AXA and BUPA, but then the German law changed, so not sure if this is still accepted?

Hey guys, I thought about starting a new thread but I think it's more appropriate to reply here since I got a similar problem.

I'm currently studying in Germany, but I see that the law doesn't really allows me to work as a freelance on a student visa, which is really bad cause I've been working from home on several projects and everything went fine.


And for the health insurance I don't know if you're a foreigner in Germany too but I picked this one http://www.mawista.com/en/health-ins...-for-students/, it's meant for students so it's not very expensive.

About the freelance thing, do I have to wait until I finish my studies and then apply for a work visa?

It's all very complicated! If anyone found a solution to this please reply.

Studying and working part time waiter jobs is not my idea of good life, while I have skills to work from my campus for less time and better pay.

[darrenb]

I will only be in Germany about six months each year. My worry is that I'll either have to pay for twelve months or have to get checked by a doctor every time I sign up again. Are there are any plans that you can just stop and start as you please?

Or should I just not bother with the whole kerfaffle....

[doodab]

Does that mean that if I sign up with them and have an accident, I will be rushed off to an NHS-style hospital where the staff all have the attitude, "Could you just get on with it and shuffle off, it would take a load off our hands..."



Though right now, I am not really concerned about my health, just looking to fulfill the legal requirements, and still keep my options open.

As far as I can tell a doctor or hospital will accept any health insurance. The difference is in the excess and what your health insurance will pay for, so if you want a private room, guarantee of seeing a "Chefartz", claiming for hippie dippie alternative remedies etc you will pay more.

[BlasterBates]

Can anyone recommend a really simple and cheap barebones health plan for a freelancer in Germany. I heard that some guys were saving costs by getting insurance with international companies like AXA and BUPA, but then the German law changed, so not sure if this is still accepted?

Get a quote from any German private insurance co. Just ask for their no frills option. I wouldn't imagine it wouldn't cost much. Get quotes from a few.

[darrenb]

, I use the Techniker which used to be cheap as it was only for technical people but now they let any old numpty in and the price has rocketed.

See that sounds a bit like the American system, where you would sign up with one crowd, and then every few months, they would send you a letter saying, "We've doubled your premiums!" Just one of the things that made me more and more dubious about the whole concept of health insurance over the years.

[darrenb]

AOK is probably the cheapest, similar to the NHS.

Does that mean that if I sign up with them and have an accident, I will be rushed off to an NHS-style hospital where the staff all have the attitude, "Could you just get on with it and shuffle off, it would take a load off our hands..."



Though right now, I am not really concerned about my health, just looking to fulfill the legal requirements, and still keep my options open.

[darmstadt]

Any proper German health insurance options that are lightweight and affordable? I don't want to be paying for my old age like most Germans do. Life is too unpredictable, from my perspective anyway.

AOK is probably the cheapest, similar to the NHS, I use the Techniker which used to be cheap as it was only for technical people but now they let any old numpty in and the price has rocketed. Krankenkasse's are private but not really private and are a bit like the NHS but if you join a Krankenkasse and then leave and go private then you cannot go back to the Krankenkasse. On each visit to a doctor or dentist in a quarter you will have to pay €10 and if you need something large then they will do a Kostenvorschlag (price up the job) which is sent to the Krankenkasse who will then decide if they pay all or part. In theory you don't need any health insurance as you could pay it all yourself but that is very expensive! I personally have health insurance, no state pension - just a couple of private ones, I also don't pay Arbeitslosengeld (unemployment) so I can't get the dole but do use people like IHK and the Berufsgenossenschaff for these things.

[doodab]

I had a word with a chap called Patrick Ort, I don't have his email but a search on toytown should turn it up. They gave me a spreadsheet with about 10 options with varying features, excess and prices.

It turned out the one I signed up with via my bank's "personal account manager" the day after I arrived was actually quite a good deal so I stuck with that.

Now i just have to figure out how to cancel it when I leave...

[darrenb]

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany London - Health and social security

Theres also a load of stuff over on the Toytown forums about Axa and Bupa which I never really bothered to read as I have proper Germany health insurance.

Any proper German health insurance options that are lightweight and affordable? I don't want to be paying for my old age like most Germans do. Life is too unpredictable, from my perspective anyway.

[darmstadt]

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany London - Health and social security

Theres also a load of stuff over on the Toytown forums about Axa and Bupa which I never really bothered to read as I have proper Germany health insurance.

[TestMangler]

AXA and BUPA should be your options not just benefit in Germany, could be beneficial if you may do freelance job in the UK or other EU

Harry, I don't want to be a pedantic pain in the arse and I know you're being very helpful to people (and advertising your services), but could you please stop posting above quotes ? It's upsetting my OCD and it's ******* annoying.

Do you fill in columns of figures and put the total at the top ?

AXA and BUPA should be your options not just benefit in Germany, could be beneficial if you may do freelance job in the UK or other EU

Can anyone recommend a really simple and cheap barebones health plan for a freelancer in Germany. I heard that some guys were saving costs by getting insurance with international companies like AXA and BUPA, but then the German law changed, so not sure if this is still accepted?