What to do when health insurance becomes more expensive?

 

 

At the beginning of the year, statutory health insurance companies may increase their premiums. Insured persons, however, have a special right of termination in the event of rising premiums. Find out in this article what you need to keep in mind.

High inflation, rising energy costs – and now health insurance companies are asking for more money too. The additional contribution, which can be levied on the fixed contribution rate of 14.6 percent of gross wages, is to increase by 0.3 percent. However, health insurance companies themselves determine exactly how much the additional contribution should be. In 2022, some health insurance companies charged an additional contribution of 1.2 percent, others 1.5 or even 1.7 percent. Those who previously paid an additional contribution of 1.5 percent must now reckon with 1.8 percent. In this case, this would increase the total premium to 16.4 percent of gross salary. On a gross salary of 4, this equates to.500 Euro per month 738 Euro. This amount is paid in half by the employer. More information is available on the website of the Federal Ministry of Health.

Use special right of termination

Stiftung Warentest reports that some health insurers will not increase their contributions, others want to stay below the average additional contribution. If your health insurance company increases the premium, you have a special right of cancellation. This means that you can change health insurance companies even if you have not yet been insured there for twelve months. However, this does not apply to those who are voluntarily insured by law.

Tip: You should check your health insurance company's website to see if they will charge a higher additional premium, and if so, how much it will be. Because the consumer center NRW points out that the health insurance company does not have to inform you about this change in a letter.

How to change your health insurance

If you find out that your health insurance company is raising its premiums and you do not agree, you should look for a cheaper health insurance company. You can find an overview of all additional contributions on the page of the GKV-Spitzenverband (German health insurance association). All you have to do then is enroll in your new health insurance plan. This will take care of canceling your old health insurance for you. You will be a member of the new health insurance two months later.

It is important with the special right of termination, however, that you observe the deadline. Because you can only cancel until the end of the month in which the contribution was raised. Means: If your health insurance company is going to 1. January 2023 the fee increases, you must enroll by 31. January 2023 enroll in a different health insurance plan. You will then be a member of the new health insurance plan starting in April.

Tip: Although health insurers offer mostly the same standard benefits, they differ, for example, when it comes to preventive services or covering the costs of professional dental cleanings. So before you choose the cheapest health insurance company, you should check whether the new health insurance company offers what is particularly important to you. If you do not use the additional services anyway, it is always worthwhile to take a look at the cheaper health insurance companies and save money by switching.