If you want to travel to distant countries without worry, you should have private travel health insurance with you. This is because statutory health insurance companies only provide limited or no cover abroad.

The most important thing in brief:

• It is also worth comparing prices for international travel health insurance. There are special rates for families. Be careful if you are asked to pay a deductible.
• It is advisable to read the small print carefully, as there may be exclusions lurking there.
• The most important point is the return transport. This should be possible if it is medically “sensible”. According to some conditions it must be medically “necessary”.

European Health Insurance Card

Even in EU countries and countries with which Germany has a social security agreement, holidaymakers can be left with all or at least part of their costs. If the European Health Insurance Card is not accepted, the doctor will treat the holidaymaker as a private patient at a higher cost. If the treatment is carried out as a private patient, every treatment must also be paid for immediately. A hospital stay can easily cost several thousand euros.

Return transport from the holiday destination is also not included in the list of services provided by statutory health insurance (GKV). The costs can only be reimbursed through private international travel health insurance.

Such policies offer essential protection and often cost only a few euros.

Compare prices

Annual contracts can be had for under 10 euros, but can also cost many times more. Benefits are paid for every trip abroad, which – depending on the contract – cannot last longer than six or eight weeks. For long-term trips lasting several months, a special policy is required, which is then also significantly more expensive. Seniors who spend the winter in southern countries or young people who want to spend a year abroad after school should think about this.

Many providers also have special tariffs for families. Some companies offer annual contracts starting at around 20 euros. It is therefore advisable to check the scope of the insurance carefully beforehand and compare it with other tariffs. Above all, you should pay attention to the age up to which co-insured children are covered by the insurance. This is because insurers have very different regulations.

Reading the fine print

Anyone taking out private travel health insurance should pay attention not only to the price but also to the benefits. Although most contracts are similar, some policies contain inconvenient clauses. For example, if a holidaymaker suffers from a chronic illness for which they need treatment, the insurance company can later refuse to pay. However, some companies only refuse to pay for existing chronic illnesses if treatment was required six months before the start of the trip due to acute deterioration or if the treatment was already determined based on a medical diagnosis before the start of the trip.

Chronically ill people should conclude such a contract.

If you do not receive private insurance cover, you should speak to your statutory health insurance provider to obtain exceptional cover in the holiday country, regardless of where this is.

Before you leave, you should get a certificate of health from your doctor to be on the safe side. Some companies also do not pay if accidents occur abroad during competitions or club sports.

Advance performance clause

Please note that only residual costs that are not covered by a statutory health insurance are covered here. The result: the cost will have to be billed twice later, which is a hassle.

Check the grace period

It can happen that a sick holidaymaker cannot travel home as planned. Many companies now pay the bills until the insured person is able to travel again, even if the insurance cover has already expired. When concluding the contract, you should therefore make sure that these subsequent benefits are not time-limited or are granted for a long time.

Return transport

Return transport is one of the most important points on the list of benefits. According to the insurance conditions, the costs should be covered for a medically sensible return transport and not only for a medically necessary return transport. Even those with private health insurance should pack travel insurance in their suitcase as a precaution to ensure return transport in an emergency or – if this is part of the scope of the private contract – to avoid having to pay their own deductible.

However, you should avoid providers who only pay for the return transport if it is “medically necessary and ordered by a doctor”. These requirements are almost impossible to meet. The return transport is only medically necessary if the standard of medical care in the host country is so low that there is no prospect of successful treatment there.

Therefore, they should only choose companies that, in accordance with their terms and conditions, provide medical transport if it is medically sensible and justifiable.

Expensive treatment costs

Before undergoing particularly expensive treatments, the patient abroad should have his or her insurance company confirm that they will cover the costs by fax.

Deductible

A few insurance companies require customers to pay a deductible for annual contracts. You should stay away from such contracts.