Postgraduate studies: Voluntary health insurance

How are you insured during postgraduate studies? The answer to this question is a little more complex and depends on your other Status .

Self-insured or through the employer?

If you are completing a postgraduate course and have your employer give you time off during this time, if you are self-employed alongside your postgraduate course or if the postgraduate course is intended to prepare you for (re)entry into the workforce, in short, if you are not employed subject to social security contributions during the postgraduate course and also no longer in the legal one Health insurance compulsory insurance, there is only one thing left: you must register with a statutory or private health insurance company Choice insure voluntarily.

Only if you have already been privately insured, you can again be privately covered by health insurance or stay with the 1.1.2009 without health insurance. Only then does the obligation to health insurance cover all citizens. However, you pay the full employer and employee share, ie depending on the fund, from about 12-15 percent of your income, plus 1,7 percent long-term care insurance and 0,25 percent for childless. However, the statutory health insurance fund assumes a minimum income of 1.242,50 Euro per month, whereby the contribution is, for example, 13,9 Euro 183,89 Euro.

The most important thing about voluntary health insurance at a glance:

1. Application and deadline: The possibility of voluntary insurance for a statutory health insurance fund exists whenever compulsory insurance ends. In the case of students, this is the case after the end of student compulsory insurance (after exceeding the semester or age limit). Voluntary insurance must be applied for within three months of compulsory insurance.
2. Pre-insurance periods: Anyone seeking voluntary insurance must provide pre-insurance periods: either before the end of compulsory insurance, they must have been permanently members of the statutory health insurance scheme for at least two years (also intermittently) in the last five years.Minimum contribution and income-dependent graduation : It is important at this point that the tariffs are graded depending on the income category according to the contribution categories. The basic price is based on a statutory minimum income of 1.242,50 Euro and goes up to a maximum income of 3.600 Euro per month. The distances between the classes are graded differently by the health insurance companies. In the income classification, In addition, not only income from work is taken into account.
3. If you have a further education, such as For example, if you are completing a postgraduate course, you can take out voluntary insurance: Here the health insurance companies assume that your income is at least 828,33 euros per month and then the contribution rates are calculated depending on the percentage of your health insurance tariff. The contributions are then around 120 euros a month, depending on the fund. However, the condition is that you are only allowed to work less than 18 hours a week on average. This limit may be exceeded slightly if your work is directly related to the postgraduate course. The same rule also applies if you are physically or emotionally unable to work full-time or if you have to look after relatives. Of course, you have to prove in writing that you meet these conditions, often with a certificate of income and evidence (e.g. for your education).
4. Some health insurance funds also continue normal student health insurance during a consecutive postgraduate course, which is directly connected to the first course. Reason: It is not clearly legally regulated whether you are still a student during the postgraduate studies or not and some funds use this gap for a special arrangement. You can not earn more than 400 Euro a month. If you earn more in one employment, you are insured through the employer. If you work independently, you must voluntarily insure yourself at the above conditions.

Alternative Private Health Insurance

An Alternatives to the statutory, voluntary Insurance is private health insurance. As a rule, the contributions are even cheaper for younger men, and the range of services may be larger. However, there are some disadvantages:

1. Contributions: The insurance contributions are independent of income - if you do not earn anything, you still have to pay. There is no guarantee for stable contribution rates: If your rate group closes, perhaps because it has become unprofitable, you may have to accept higher contributions. And: women and older people pay much higher contributions than younger men.
2. Benefits: If you take out private health insurance and then get married and / or have children, you pay a full contribution for each member of the family who is to be insured. You also have to pay extra for the health and maternity allowance, which is included in the statutory contribution.
3. Return to the statutory health insurance: If you insure yourself as a self-employed person, you will later only be reintegrated into the statutory health insurance if you work in dependent employment - before the 5-year. However, if you have been exempted from work by your employer for the duration of the postgraduate course, you should have no problems with this scheme.

Student health insurance

To attend a German (specialist)University to be able to study, you must have health and nursing care insurance. If you start postgraduate studies alongside your job, nothing will usually change for you: Social security will continue as before and there will be no additional fees for your studies Costs at. The situation is different if you don't have a job yet or if you take time off from your previous work for the duration of your postgraduate studies. You can then either take out student health insurance or take out voluntary insurance.

• Family insurance: If you use the 25. You are insured with your parents free of charge in family insurance, provided that at least one parent is in the statutory health insurance. If you have completed a military or alternative service, family insurance is extended by the period of military service or civilian service. Family insurance ends when you earn more than 355 Euro per month (exception: you work in the semester breaks, see below) or when you reach the age limit. But if you have a minijob, so a small job, then you can earn up to 400 Euro every month. If you are married and your spouse is insured in a statutory health insurance, you can also insure yourself free of charge for the entire period of study.
• From the 2 birthday (or later, after adding the times of the military / alternative service) you have to assure yourself: The contribution rates for student health insurance are uniformly defined for all statutory health insurance funds by the Federal Ministry of Health. From 01.10.2008, the monthly health insurance contribution is 54,78 Euro and 9,98 Euro per month. For children, the contribution to long-term care insurance is increased to 11,26 Euro per month. The legislature thus implements a judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court, which makes it incompatible with the Basic Law that parents pay the same amount as children. The insurance ends with the expiry of the semester, in which the student receives the 30. Or the 1Fachemester.
• BAföG recipients receive grants for health and long-term care insurance: regardless of whether you are legally or privately insured: As a BAföG beneficiary, you will receive 2008 Euro from August (for all new approval periods beginning in August) or October 2008 (for approval periods that started 50 before August), and 9 Euro for long-term care insurance. For all approval periods beginning on March 2009 or later, the demand for CT increases to 54 Euro, for PV to 10 Euro. In private health insurance, the subsidy can also be lower if the costs are lower.
• End of student health insurance: The cheap student health insurance can be obtained until the end of the 1 study semester - at the latest until the end of the semester in which the 30. Year of life is completed - use. But: under certain conditions, it can be extended beyond the aforementioned maximum duration. As prerequisites can be recognized on evidence: birth of a child and subsequent care, disability, acquisition of entry requirements for a higher education through the second education, prolonged illness, participation in university boards, performing military or civil service, non-admission in the selection process of ZVS, care for the disabled Family member. Anyone who has passed the semester or age limit or has finished their studies can voluntarily continue to take out insurance.
• Dislocation by orphan status: Health insurance for pensioners (KVdR) is a compulsory insurance. When receiving an orphan's pension, compulsory student insurance may therefore be displaced. The orphan's pension status in certain cases establishes access to health insurance and takes precedence. More information on “Health insurance for pensioners (KVdR)” should be obtained from the responsible health insurance company.