Exclusions differ from one insurer to another, and checking them is part of our work before we recommend a policy to you.
A doctor sends an employee for a knee scan and the appointment in a state hospital is months away. With a voluntary health policy the scan is booked at a private clinic from the network within a few days, and the insurer pays the clinic directly.
The annual health check reveals an abnormal laboratory result for an employee. The policy covers the follow-up diagnostics and the specialist consultation without delay, so the condition is dealt with early instead of being left until the first symptoms appear.
After shoulder surgery an employee needs a course of physiotherapy. Instead of waiting for appointments and paying out of pocket, the sessions are provided at a contracted partner up to the annual limit, which also shortens the time spent away from work.
The examples are illustrative and show how the cover works in practice.
No. It is an addition to compulsory health insurance and employees still have to be registered with the state scheme. The policy is used for faster access to consultations and diagnostics in private clinics, while the national health insurance fund (RFZO) remains the foundation, especially for large and long running treatment costs.
A premium paid by an employer for voluntary health insurance of employees has a special tax treatment, and up to a monthly limit per employee set by law it is not included in the base for tax and social contributions. That limit is indexed, so the current figure should be checked with your accountant at the time of purchase. Any part of the premium above the limit is treated as salary.
A waiting period is the time from inception during which certain covers do not yet apply. Outpatient consultations usually start straight away or after a short delay, while for hospital treatment, childbirth or dentistry the waiting period can be considerably longer. On group contracts with a larger headcount some insurers shorten or remove it, and that is one of the points we push for in negotiation.
As a rule it does not. Pre-existing conditions are usually excluded, and on individual policies a health questionnaire is required as well. On larger groups the risk is spread across the whole population, so some insurers accept cover without individual questionnaires. That difference does not show in the price, only in the wording, which is why we compare it before signing.
They can, through an extension to the group policy, usually with a premium paid by the employee or shared with the employer. Terms and prices for family members vary between insurers, so it pays to ask for that option in the first round of quotes rather than later.
Send us a short enquiry. We collect offers from every insurer that covers this risk and explain the differences before you sign anything.
