What additional medical insurance do students need?
In Germany, all students are insured either through statutory health insurance companies or through a private provider. This means that the usual basic services in the medical field are covered. For many students, this may be enough. Sometimes additional insurance also makes sense.
Expand protection through additional insurance
The absolute minimum for enrolling at a German university is statutory health insurance. It must be proven upon enrollment. If students fall out of insurance during their studies, for example because they do not pay their contributions, the university will be informed. So there is no way to avoid insurance coverage. Students are usually protected by family insurance up to the age of 25. They can then voluntarily take out health insurance as a student with a statutory health insurance fund for a reduced monthly fee or switch to private insurance. If you want to cover additional services, you have to look for so-called additional insurance yourself. These are not mandatory, but depending on your individual health condition, they can be easier on your wallet.
Additional dental insurance protects against high costs
Young people often have very healthy teeth, so they do not take out additional insurance but instead rely entirely on the health insurance benefits. Most of the time that works well. However, if regular professional teeth cleaning is necessary for medical reasons or if the teeth are susceptible to tooth decay, additional insurance is recommended. Particularly when it comes to dentures, those with statutory health insurance have to pay a large amount of their own contributions. It is usually possible to take out additional insurance directly from your own statutory health insurance company or from one of its partners.
Additional hospital insurance for a more comfortable hospital stay
For chronic illnesses and regular hospital stays, so-called supplementary hospital insurance can be worthwhile. Depending on the range of services, it is possible, for example, to stay in a single room instead of a shared room. Sometimes the supplementary insurance also covers accommodation in a private hospital.
Glasses and contact lens insurance for perfect vision
Without sufficient eyesight it is difficult to study at a normal university. However, spectacle lenses and contact lenses are expensive and are only covered by statutory health insurance if the diopter number is 6.25 or more . However, driving a car without visual aids is no longer permitted with a diopter number of 0.8 or more. Since myopia can continue to worsen in your early 20s, some students need new glasses every one to two years. Additional insurance can be a real financial relief here.
International travel health insurance for holidays and weekend trips
In other European countries , students can usually rely on statutory health insurance. Emergency care is therefore possible without additional insurance in the EU member states. If necessary, international health insurance with repatriation can still make sense. If you want to leave Europe, you should definitely complete it! Otherwise, even one accident can mean financial ruin. Fortunately, such international travel health insurance is usually very affordable.
