Saving money sensibly on health insurance
Healthcare costs continue to rise, and many people are looking for ways to save money on their health insurance. But how exactly does this work, where does it make sense and where not so much?
Saving on basic insurance
Basic insurance covers legally required health services. Although the scope of benefits is standardized, there are various insurance models that differ primarily in the first point of contact for health problems. The prices can differ greatly from each other.
Telemedicine and online pharmacy:
A 24/7 telephone helpline always serves as the first point of contact for health problems. In addition, medicines can be delivered home free of postage.
Group practice/health center (HMO):
Customers select a health center of their choice as their first point of contact. Doctors and specialists are available within the center.
Family doctor model:
Under this model, you are free to choose a family doctor who will act as your first point of contact and make referrals to specialists as needed.
Primary care physician and telemedicine:
In the combined model, you can choose either the primary care physician or 24/7 telephone medical consultation as your first point of contact, depending on your needs.
Free choice of doctor:
With this model, you have free choice of doctor and direct access to specialists at all times.
So if you don’t have any special requirements for the first point of contact for health problems, then it’s worth going for one with telemedicine. These are often significantly cheaper than the rest of the models.
Saving on supplementary insurance
In the case of supplementary insurance, there are various offers with different benefits. They extend the benefits from the basic insurance. As an example, KPT Health Insurance offers two attractive supplementary insurance plans:
Krankenpflege-Plus:
This supplementary insurance optimally supplements the basic insurance. It offers extended coverage for medications, transportation and emergency services, and health check-ups. In addition, contributions for visual aids and much more are reimbursed.
Comfort:
This insurance extends the benefits of Krankenpflege-Plus to include benefits from complementary medicine.
Taking out supplementary insurance is voluntary, but highly recommended. If health problems occur even before the insurance policy is taken out, it is possible that an insurance company will refuse. This can also be the case for policyholders with advanced age. Therefore, a supplementary insurance is an investment in the future and it should be carefully weighed whether to save here.
Price comparison and advice
The cost of basic and supplementary insurance can vary depending on the health insurer. It is perfectly possible to take out basic insurance with one provider and supplementary insurance with another provider in order to combine two favorable offers. In the event of a claim, however, it can often be tedious, as it must be clarified in each case which health insurance company will cover the claim.
So there are several ways to save money wisely on health insurance. Choosing the right insurance model for basic insurance and adding suitable supplementary insurance can be both easy on the wallet and optimize insurance coverage. In order to find the best individual solution, it is advisable to seek holistic advice on the subject of health insurance from our experts.