# Health insurance for HIV poz student 30-years



## pozinmigrant

Hi everyone, I will soon move to Berlin to continue some postgraduate studies. I'm from South America. I know that getting an insurance is mandatory and furthermore, I need one since I'm HIV positive. But it's confusing the information I'm getting from the web regarding which insurance I should take: I have read that because I'm 30 I can't take a statutory insurance as a student. On the other hand, I've read that private insurance would deny my application since I'm positive. Any suggestions? I wouldn't like to put my life in danger by interrupting my retroviral medication.


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## beppi

If you cannot join the public health insurance scheme (which has a subsidized student rate of €75/month and no surcharges for pre-existing conditions) and the private insurers reject you because of your illness (which is likely and legal), they HAVE TO take you on a so-called "basic tariff" (Basistarif), which gives roughly the same coverage as the public scheme, does not allow surcharges either and costs approx. €650/month.
The private insurers dislike this (because it is obviously a loss-maker for them), will not tell you about the possibility and will possibly try to discourage you with dubious methods from joining this scheme, but if you press your way ahead they do not have a legal choice.


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## beppi

Just for your information: Students above 30 can under certain circumstances join the public scheme at a non-subsidized rate (approx. €150/month if you have no own income), with no surcharges or rejections for pre-existing conditions possible. The rules for this are pretty complicated, so you should consult a good health insurance consultant to check if you are eligible!
Registering with a German health insurance can be done retroactively within the first three months after your arrival, so you do have some time.


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## pozinmigrant

Thank you so much Beppi for the information provided. I will definitely check whether I'm eligible for the non-subsidised rate public scheme. A representative from TKK told me it would be helpful to arrive to Germany with a 12 months visa and a travel insurance (which I fortunately have). People from Aidshilfe also told me that getting a part time job can help for enrolling in the public system. One way or another, I'll take with me as much medication as possible from my country. Here I get up to 3 months of meds for free, no insurance needed and also, I can buy more for 50 euros per month of treatment.

I'll post here any more info I could get, maybe somebody else it the future might need it. Thanks once again.


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## Edu1984

pozinmigrant said:


> Thank you so much Beppi for the information provided. I will definitely check whether I'm eligible for the non-subsidised rate public scheme. A representative from TKK told me it would be helpful to arrive to Germany with a 12 months visa and a travel insurance (which I fortunately have). People from Aidshilfe also told me that getting a part time job can help for enrolling in the public system. One way or another, I'll take with me as much medication as possible from my country. Here I get up to 3 months of meds for free, no insurance needed and also, I can buy more for 50 euros per month of treatment.
> 
> I'll post here any more info I could get, maybe somebody else it the future might need it. Thanks once again.



Hi everyone, 

I have a similar case as my countryman pozinmigrant; however, there are two main differences: 1) I am not going to study in Germany, but I'm going to do so in The Netherlands (NL), and 2) I have just been diagnosed poz two weeks ago - thanks God, by now I am calm - and I haven't started any treatmeant yet because I am waiting for my first CD4 and viral load results (actually, I don't know how convenient would be to start any treatment here if I will be flying in almost a month from now, and possibly this treatment would be different once I arrive to NL).

In that sense, my flight is already booked and I will arrive NL on the beginning of January. Definitely, one of the first things I want to do is to get a health insurance. By the time I will arrive, I will be 31 already, so what would be your recommendation on which insurance to look for? Should I tell them from the beginning that I am already diagnosed as poz or should I get the results there?

In addition, do you know or can suggest any HIV support group in there so I could contact them as soon as possible?

Finally, what should I do until I get my CD4 and viral load results, and even more, until I get the medical treatment I must follow? This is, what would be your recommendations on these 30-45 upcoming days - what should I do different? which new activities / habits should I consider from now on? And regarding sex, when is the right moment - when you know you are going to have it - to start using the condom?

Thanks in advanced for all your support, I appreciate it.


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## vronchen

It might be better to ask your question in the Netherland forum!


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## Edu1984

vronchen said:


> It might be better to ask your question in the Netherland forum!


Sorry, I'm nwe on this.. Thanks, I have just done it.


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## bechandbook

hey, i am a student over 30 years old in germany and searching for the way to take out the public health insurance for months too and there is no public insurance company accept my application. how did you get the public health insurance ?


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## beppi

At over 30, you cannot join the public health insurance at the (subsidized) student rate of approx. €90/month. You would be counted as "freiwillig versichert" and have to pay approx. €170/month.
Whether you can join them at all depends on whether your visa includes a permission to work and the responsiobility to earn your own living expenses. This is usually NOT the case if you receive a scholarship. In that case you MUST join a (often more expensive) private insurance. If you do have a work permit, any public insurer must accept you.
However, insurers are often not knowledgeable about the (very complicated) regulations governing this, and therefore errors are common. You should try to apply at as many public insurers as possible until one accepts you. Alternatively, join a private insurer.
Note: Procratination does not help, as you will be retroactively billed from the day you entered Germany (so you'd have to pay afterwards without the chance to use the insurance before).


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