Health Care
Compulsory Insurance
The German embassy requires a valid health insurance while applying for visa. You can get a 3 month travellers health insurance in Nepal. After arriving here in Germany, try to find a suitable insurance company for you. Basically, AOK and TK are choice of foreign students. They usually have a bureau in your campus.
Insurance for foreign Visitors and Students:
Health-, Accident- and Liability Insurance
Anyone falling ill in Germany has relatively little, other than the ailment, to worry about. Students, no matter where they're from, are all insured with public health insurance companies. That costs around 60 euro a month and is well worth it. You have to pay additional € 10 for Doctors visits, which remains valid for a quarter of year (Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec). Similarly, every (night) stay in a hospital ward costs € 10.
The German health care system:
Guaranteed health care for everyone
The German health care system provides comprehensive medical services for People living in Germany. The health care system rests on three pillars:
1) Primary care by general practitioners (Hausärzte)
There are around 1,30,000 general practitioners out of ca. 3,15,000 total doctors working in Germany who provide out-patient care. Both general practitioners and medical specialists have their own practices. Advanced diagnostic standards are therefore ensured from the start in primary care. If necessary, general practitioners refer patients to hospitals for acute care.
2) Acute care hospitals
Germany has about 2,250 acute care hospitals with 523,824 Beds. The large number of hospitals ensures that medical care is widespread throughout Germany in comparision with other western nations. The hospitals are catagorized as:
- Hospitals with maximum medical care
- Hospitals with highly specialized units
- Hospitals with general health care
- Hospitals with basic health care
The hospitals with maximam medical care have highly specialized units equipped to treat patients with complex medical problems. Furthermore, 48 university hospitals provide top medical care. Staff at these teaching hospitals also conduct comprehensive research, and offer virtually every form of medical treatment.
3) After-care and Rehabilitation Clinics
With over 1,000 rehabilitation clinics, Germany sets global standards in the provision of rehabilitation services following acute medical care.
At these clinics, patients relearn to care for themselves in their normal everyday contexts. Permanently disabled patients are taught to accept their handicap and become as self-reliant as possible.
All of the German-speaking countries enjoy a high level of health care. Infant mortality rates are lower and life expectancy is higher than are those of the United States. The German health care system was taken as a model by the Clinton administration in its efforts to reform the U.S. system. While not without its problems, the Austrian and German government-sponsored Krankenkasse (“sickness fund”) system helps provide universal coverage in Austria and Germany. Switzerland relies on private insurance, as does the U.S.
Addresses of the German Insurance Companies
Compulsory health insurance
Private Insurance
Medical Insurance for Travelers:
Before traveling check with your own insurance company to confirm whether your policy applies in Germany, in particular check the adequacy of the coverage and provision for medical evacuation.
Health care within the EC:
The European right protects European Community citizens while on holiday in other EC countries. The EC-regulations on social security ensure that tourists receive medical care and treatment in another EC country in the event of an accident or sudden illness. The central point of these community-regulations is: persons have a right to health care services in the case of emergency in the vacation-country equivalent to those available to local inhabitants, if the persons are covered by a valid health insurance policy in the homeland.
Health care for out within the EC:
In all other countries, the EC regulations have no validity. However "bilateral social insurance-agreements" exist between Germany and Croatia, Switzerland, Turkey, Tunisia. These provide a comparable level of protection. Current information can be obtained from your health insurance company.
USA
U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. U.S. Medicare and Medicaid programs do not provide payment for medical services outside the United States.
More information can be found here:
Resource 1
Resource 2
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