Changing health insurance companies: Should I just go with the cheapest one now?

Did your health insurance also become more expensive on January 1st? Probably. With a few exceptions, all health insurance companies increased their additional contributions at the turn of the year. And if you think you are not affected, then take a look back a few months: some health insurance companies quietly and secretly increased the contribution last year. The bottom line is that almost all statutory health insurance patients pay more, but by no means the same. The differences between the health insurance funds are sometimes significant, as our large overview of the additional contributions from the health insurance funds shows.

Many insured people are therefore thinking about switching to a cheaper health insurance fund. This can potentially save hundreds of euros a year and is incredibly easy. You fill out an application with the new fund and it informs the old one about the change. If the health insurance company increased the additional contribution at the beginning of the year, a special right of termination applies until the end of January. There is also the regular cancellation option for everyone who was insured with their old insurance company for at least twelve months. In both cases, a notice period of two full months applies: If you cancel during January (don’t wait until the last day), you will be insured with the new fund from April 1st.

But which cash register should you switch to? Just take the cheapest one because the statutory health insurance benefits are the same anyway? Or would you rather pay attention to additional services, bonus programs and other extras? A little decision-making aid.

First of all, you should be clear about how much you will actually save by changing your health insurance provider. The general contribution rate of 14.6 percent of gross wages is the same for all funds, only the additional contribution varies. The cheapest fund currently is the BKK Firmus with an additional contribution of 1.84 percent, the most expensive is the Knappschaft with 4.4 percent. Both are open nationwide. For employees, the employer pays half of the total contribution.

How much the individual can actually save in euros depends on their earnings and how big the difference in contributions is between the old and new fund. A few calculation examples:

The examples show: Switching from an expensive to a cheap health insurance fund can save a lot of money on premiums. However, it’s worth not just looking at the post. Because even extra services, which vary from fund to fund, can be worth money.

The basic medical services are stipulated by law and are the same for all health insurance companies. Depending on your personal life situation and health, certain additional services that only some health insurance companies offer may also be interesting. These also include services that are not that special, but rather affect a lot of people.

For example, many insured people go for professional teeth cleaning at least once a year, which costs 70 to 150 euros per appointment. Some health insurance companies provide a generous subsidy, others pay little or nothing at all. Some only pay if the treatment is carried out by certain dentists with whom the health insurance company has a contract.

Another point that can easily offset slightly higher premium payments concerns osteopathic treatments. There are funds that give up to 500 euros a year, others give nothing. In contrast to physiotherapy, which can be prescribed by prescription, osteopathy is generally not included in the statutory service package.

There are other important differences in preventive examinations that go beyond the legal minimum – for example more frequent skin cancer screenings – or in the reimbursement of costs for certain travel vaccinations. Some health insurance companies offer more benefits for children or pregnant women, others for seniors or the chronically ill.

The cash registers also differ when it comes to bonus programs. The health insurance companies usually reward health-conscious behavior such as attending preventive examinations or becoming a member of a sports club. Depending on the bonus model, you receive a small cash bonus for a certain number of measures or a subsidy for an extra service such as professional teeth cleaning.

In addition to money, the right health insurance can also save you nerves. That’s when you get help quickly and competently if you have any questions. The needs can be different here. For some, the most important thing is being able to be reached by phone around the clock, while others want to be able to do everything easily via the app. And it can be important, especially for older insured people, that they can go to a local office if in doubt. In addition to information and advice, many health insurance companies also offer help in arranging appointments with specialists.

Changing health insurance is not difficult. First, look at how expensive your current fund is compared to others. Then compare the additional services with a view to the extras that are important to you. This can be done, for example, with the independent (paid) comparison by Stiftung Warentest or via comparison portals such as Verivox and Check24. The consumer portal Finanztip recommends five health insurance companies in particular based on a price-performance comparison: hkk, Techniker, BKK Firmus, Audi BKK and the Energie-BKK for young families and pregnant women.