The following case studies show how we make recommendations in some relatively common cases.
We’ve changed their names for their privacy, but here are some examples of people we’ve helped get health insurance in Germany and how we made that decision.
The following case studies show how we make recommendations in some relatively common cases.
Peter
Peter is a 46-year-old man who is moving to Germany with a full-time job offer. He will be earning €113,000 annually with his new job as an art director, so he qualifies for private insurance. However, Peter has high blood pressure, is married, and has two children. His wife does not plan to enter the German workforce for the time being.
We would recommend that Peter get public insurance since he has a pre-existing condition and three dependents.
Theresa
Theresa is a 27-year-old woman and works as a freelance graphic designer. She is from the U.S., single, has no children, and has no pre-existing conditions. Theresa moved to Berlin with no set plan in place — she’s not sure if she’ll stay for just a few months or for a longer period of time. She plans to apply for a freelance residence permit and explore Germany before creating a plan.
We recommend that Theresa take expat health insurance to get started in Germany. Since she’s a freelancer from the U.S., she won’t be eligible to join public insurance immediately. Since she could only be in Germany for a few months, expat health insurance is the best option as it will help her get a freelance residence permit and requires no commitment like private health insurance.
Christina
Christina is a 35-year-old woman from Canada. She is married to another Canadian citizen and plans to have children in the next couple of years. She does not have any pre-existing conditions; however, she was regularly seeing a psychotherapist in Canada. She is moving to Munich to take a job offer with an annual income of €66,000.
We recommend that Christina get public insurance. Even though she qualifies for private insurance based on her income, her history of mental health counseling means she is not eligible to join private health insurance. In addition, since she is planning to have children, public insurance will be cheaper for her family in the long run.
Pablo
Pablo is a 39-year-old man from Mexico. He just moved to Hamburg to take a project management job and has an annual income of €71,000. He is single, has no children, and doesn’t have any pre-existing conditions. He plans to stay in Germany for a few years, but he wants to return to Mexico eventually.
In Pablo’s situation, we would recommend private insurance. Because he is a single, healthy high-earner, it will be cheaper for him to go on private insurance in Germany rather than public insurance.