Choose or change statutory health insurance

You can apply for membership of the health insurance company of your choice by post and – with many statutory health insurance companies – hand it in personally at the office or submit it online.
If you become subject to compulsory health insurance for the first time or again – for example, at the beginning of an apprenticeship, at the start of working life, or a change of employer – you can choose a health insurance company no later than 2 weeks after the insurance obligation has occurred.  

• Submit a membership declaration to the statutory health insurance company of your choice.
• The health insurance company will send you a confirmation of membership.
• In this confirmation, you will also be informed of your notification obligations to your employer.
• You inform your employer about your choice of health insurance provider.
• Your training company or employer will then register you with the health insurance company.
• The employer will then receive an electronic notification from the health insurance company about your membership.

If you want to change your health insurance company and nothing has changed in your compulsory insurance or your voluntary health insurance, submit a new application for admission to the new health insurance company. As a rule, you must comply with a notice period of 2 months to the end of the month with the old health insurance company. Your new health insurance company will then take care of the termination with the old health insurance company.

• Contact the health insurance company with which you would like to be insured.
• The newly selected health insurance company reports the change of health insurance to your previous health insurance company electronically.
• The previous health insurance company electronically confirms the end of membership to the new health insurance company within 2 weeks.
• The new health insurance company will inform you about the time of the change of health insurance.
• You inform your employer about the change of health insurance provider.
• Your employer deregisters from the previous health insurance fund and registers with the new health insurance fund.
• The newly selected health insurance fund confirms the existence of membership to your employer.
   

• You are at least 15 years old.
• If all insurance requirements are met, the health insurance companies may not refuse your membership.

• Passport photo for the electronic health card
• Health insurance number or social security number

There are no costs for the application.

The notice period is 2 months to the end of the month.
If you become subject to compulsory health insurance for the first time or again: You can choose a health insurance company within 2 weeks of the commencement of compulsory insurance.

If you can voluntarily take out statutory health insurance for the first time or again: You can choose a new health insurance company within 3 months of becoming eligible for insurance.

So-called statutory commitment periods apply to changing health insurance companies:

• As a rule, you can only choose a new health insurance company if you have been insured with the previous health insurance company for at least 12 months.
• If you have taken out a so-called optional tariff, you are bound to your health insurance during the term. As a rule, these are
  • 12 months, for example with a deductible tariff.
  • 3 years, for example with a sickness benefit tariff.

During this time, a change of health insurance is not possible.

• Exceptions to the statutory commitment period exist, inter alia, if
  • You meet the requirements for free family insurance.
  • You cancel your voluntary membership because you switch to private health insurance or you are otherwise covered in the event of illness.
  • Your health insurance fund has provided in its articles of association that the minimum commitment period does not apply in the event of a change to a health insurance fund of the same type of health insurance fund.
• If you become subject to compulsory insurance again, for example because you take up a new job, you can change insurance immediately – without notice with the previous health insurance company and without complying with the commitment period. The same applies if you change your health insurance because you voluntarily take out statutory health insurance for the first time or again.
• You have a special right of termination if
  • your health insurance fund increases the additional contribution rate or
  • Your health insurance company is closing.

Processing usually takes about 1 to 7 business days.
For a quick processing and decision, your health insurance company must have the necessary information and, if necessary, necessary documents complete and meaningful.
The health insurance company decides on applications promptly, whereby the statutory processing deadline is observed to protect patients' rights.
Please note that the stated processing time is an average value of all health insurance companies. It may vary in individual cases.
The exact processing time also depends on the complexity of the individual case and can be extended accordingly. The same applies if documents or documents are sent by post to you or your health insurance company.

- Forms: no.

- Online procedure possible: Many statutory health insurance companies offer an online procedure.

- Written form required: no

- Personal appearance required: no
 

• Contradiction
• Action before the Social Court

You can only choose private health insurance if you are not covered by the statutory insurance obligation. In order to become exempt from insurance, the following requirements apply, among others:

• Your income from employment must exceed the statutory annual earnings limit, or
• You must be a civil servant or self-employed full-time.
   

Federal Ministry of Health

25.10.2021

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.