# Expat Health Insurance



## Scoubidouu (Oct 28, 2014)

Hi there,

I plan to move to Germany (Aachen) very soon and I am debating on whether or not I should subscribe to German health insurance or get a private one.

Anyone who could give me feedback and/or recommendation on good private international/German health insurance provider? Thanks a lot.

Cheers,
Eric


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Scoubidouu said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I plan to move to Germany (Aachen) very soon and I am debating on whether or not I should subscribe to German health insurance or get a private one.
> 
> ...


How are you moving to Aachen (job, spouse, etc. ) and how long are you planning to stay?

Whether regular German health insurance or a private insurance is better (or even possible) depends on your income (if you are moving for a job) and whether it's just for a little while or you plan to stay for the foreseeable future.


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## Scoubidouu (Oct 28, 2014)

Thank you ALKB,

I will be moving to Aachen for a job, my gross income will be superior to the required threshold so that I can choose to sign up or not for the German health insurance. Never say never but likely will be living in Germany for a couple of years a least...

Since I have the choice, I am keen to know more about the 2 options.
Any advice will be much appreciated!

Cheers,
Eric


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Scoubidouu said:


> Thank you ALKB,
> 
> I will be moving to Aachen for a job, my gross income will be superior to the required threshold so that I can choose to sign up or not for the German health insurance. Never say never but likely will be living in Germany for a couple of years a least...
> 
> ...


In that case private insurance might be the better deal.

Monthly payments tend to be lower than the regular insurances but those payments have been going up recently, so compare carefully.

The payments also go up considerably with age and once you are in a private insurance it is very difficult to switch to the statutory ones.

If you would be coming to Germany with a German partner and you would be looking at decades if not the rest of your life in Germany, I would advise to stay well away from private insurance.

For a relatively young person with a good income who only wants to stay for a few years, things look entirely different.


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## Scoubidouu (Oct 28, 2014)

Noted, thank you AKLB. I will investigate the private insurances and check with my company. I understand that if the private health insurance company is registered and recognized by the German govt, the company may contribute to the insurance premium, in a similar way to its 7.3% contribution to the GVK.
Cheers,
Eric


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