Type 1 Living in Germany with Diabetes Type 1

[CarerOfType1]

Is anyone familiar with how the German medical insurance covers diabetes 1. I have been offered a job in Germany so my husband and I are considering moving there. My husband will look for work upon arrival but this may take up to 6 months. I know medical insurance is mandatory there but can anyone shed light on how it would work, what we could expect and what I could organise through my new employer. My husband has Type 1, using Levemir and NovoRapid and Freestyle Libre, we are currently living in the UK where all medication is covered under the NHS except the Freestyle Libre. Thanks in advance.

 

[AndBreathe]

Is anyone familiar with how the German medical insurance covers diabetes 1. I have been offered a job in Germany so my husband and I are considering moving there. My husband will look for work upon arrival but this may take up to 6 months. I know medical insurance is mandatory there but can anyone shed light on how it would work, what we could expect and what I could organise through my new employer. My husband has Type 1, using Levemir and NovoRapid and Freestyle Libre, we are currently living in the UK where all medication is covered under the NHS except the Freestyle Libre. Thanks in advance.

I'll tag @Wurst here, as he is in Germany, and T1 also, I believe. Apologies for hailing you Wurst, but I think you're probably best placed to comment.

 

[Wurst]

I'll tag @Wurst here, as he is in Germany, and T1 also, I believe. Apologies for hailing you Wurst, but I think you're probably best placed to comment.

No probs, hopefully i can help.........

I've lived in Germany for 14 years now , 4 of which as a T1. Health insurance is mandatory as you rightly state, typically your employer contributes half and you contribute the other half and is taken directly from you monthly wage. There are two types Private and Public(state) ,where private is considerably more expensive and has some benefits over Public.

I'm on the public system I and it covers my whole family. I have never had any issues with my insurer over diabetes or other medical problems (mainly leg injuries), they pay for all my insulin , test strips , needles etc etc. I'd say 90 % of doctors I have encountered speak English so language is normally not a problem. I cannot get a CGM as I have pretty good control and these are typically reserved for patients with poor control over long periods and I'm not sure if your freestyle libre would be covered here.

I can't compare it against the UK system as I have never experienced the national health wrt diabetes. One thing that is a pain here is dental , the mandatory health insurance only covers very basic dental problems , I recently had a double root canal and am awaiting the bill :-(

One other plus side is if you are T1 and on MDI , injecting > 4 times per day is you qualify for the schwerbehindertenausweis grad 50%, which is effectively stating you are disabled due to lifestyle restrictions. This has certain benefits such as 1 week extra vacation per year, tax breaks, no overtime/on call (unless you specifically insist on doing it) and bizarrely it can even get discount on new cars in some cases 30 % off.

Let me know if have any specific questions , where in Germany will you be residing ?

 

[tim2000s]

One other plus side is if you are T1 and on MDI , injecting > 4 times per day is you qualify for the schwerbehindertenausweis grad 50%, which is effectively stating you are disabled due to lifestyle restrictions. This has certain benefits such as 1 week extra vacation per year, tax breaks, no overtime/on call (unless you specifically insist on doing it) and bizarrely it can even get discount on new cars in some cases 30 % off.

When are we all moving to Germany? Wow!

 

[AndBreathe]

No probs, hopefully i can help.........

I've lived in Germany for 14 years now , 4 of which as a T1. Health insurance is mandatory as you rightly state, typically your employer contributes half and you contribute the other half and is taken directly from you monthly wage. There are two types Private and Public(state) ,where private is considerably more expensive and has some benefits over Public.

I'm on the public system I and it covers my whole family. I have never had any issues with my insurer over diabetes or other medical problems (mainly leg injuries), they pay for all my insulin , test strips , needles etc etc. I'd say 90 % of doctors I have encountered speak English so language is normally not a problem. I cannot get a CGM as I have pretty good control and these are typically reserved for patients with poor control over long periods and I'm not sure if your freestyle libre would be covered here.

I can't compare it against the UK system as I have never experienced the national health wrt diabetes. One thing that is a pain here is dental , the mandatory health insurance only covers very basic dental problems , I recently had a double root canal and am awaiting the bill :-(

One other plus side is if you are T1 and on MDI , injecting > 4 times per day is you qualify for the schwerbehindertenausweis grad 50%, which is effectively stating you are disabled due to lifestyle restrictions. This has certain benefits such as 1 week extra vacation per year, tax breaks, no overtime/on call (unless you specifically insist on doing it) and bizarrely it can even get discount on new cars in some cases 30 % off.

Let me know if have any specific questions , where in Germany will you be residing ?

Thanks Wurst. That looks like a really excellent starting point for the OP.

I really enjoyed my time living in Germany, although it was a few moons ago now.

 

[Wurst]

Thanks Wurst. That looks like a really excellent starting point for the OP.

I really enjoyed my time living in Germany, although it was a few moons ago now.

Nice , where did you live in Germany?

 

[AndBreathe]

Nice , where did you live in Germany?

I lived in several places, being relocated by my work at the time - I started in the Rhur valley, moved to Soest/Lipstadt, had some time in Hannover, then eventually in the beautiful, but frozen north of Celle.

 

[CarerOfType1]

I'll tag @Wurst here, as he is in Germany, and T1 also, I believe. Apologies for hailing you Wurst, but I think you're probably best placed to comment.

Thank you for the introduction - really appreciated.

 

[CarerOfType1]

No probs, hopefully i can help.........

I've lived in Germany for 14 years now , 4 of which as a T1. Health insurance is mandatory as you rightly state, typically your employer contributes half and you contribute the other half and is taken directly from you monthly wage. There are two types Private and Public(state) ,where private is considerably more expensive and has some benefits over Public.

I'm on the public system I and it covers my whole family. I have never had any issues with my insurer over diabetes or other medical problems (mainly leg injuries), they pay for all my insulin , test strips , needles etc etc. I'd say 90 % of doctors I have encountered speak English so language is normally not a problem. I cannot get a CGM as I have pretty good control and these are typically reserved for patients with poor control over long periods and I'm not sure if your freestyle libre would be covered here.

I can't compare it against the UK system as I have never experienced the national health wrt diabetes. One thing that is a pain here is dental , the mandatory health insurance only covers very basic dental problems , I recently had a double root canal and am awaiting the bill :-(

One other plus side is if you are T1 and on MDI , injecting > 4 times per day is you qualify for the schwerbehindertenausweis grad 50%, which is effectively stating you are disabled due to lifestyle restrictions. This has certain benefits such as 1 week extra vacation per year, tax breaks, no overtime/on call (unless you specifically insist on doing it) and bizarrely it can even get discount on new cars in some cases 30 % off.

Let me know if have any specific questions , where in Germany will you be residing ?

@Wurst, thank you for the reply - this is really helpful and appreciated. The role offered is in Bavaria. Where are you based?

Those benefits also sound amazing that you mentioned.

A few things:

• What should one I expect to contribute for myself and my husband (if that is not confidential) for 1) private 2) public
• Does the diabetes cover increase the cost or is it like a flat fee?
• Not sure if you would know but would my husband still be ok to get the coverage given that he has already been diagnosed?

FYI the healthcare in the UK for Diabetes via the NHS is excellent - insulin, strips, needles and selected glucose blood readers are provided for free under the NHS. Check ups with specialists are also included and you are entitled to certain free other medication like flu shots. We are really well looked after here. The Freestyle Libre is unfortunately not covered and costs around 100 GBP per month plus the cost of the one off measuring machine. I do feel for those that need to cover the costs on a personal basis.

Hope the bill is not too hefty for your dentist! Are regular dentist check ups and cleans covered?

Thank you again!

 

[Wurst]

A few things:

• What should one I expect to contribute for myself and my husband (if that is not confidential) for 1) private 2) public
• Does the diabetes cover increase the cost or is it like a flat fee?
• Not sure if you would know but would my husband still be ok to get the coverage given that he has already been diagnosed?

It's around a 300 per month contribution for the public (mandatory) , that covers my whole family. Private is considerably more , I got a quote around 7-8 years ago so it may not be relevant now.
I pay the same as any other able bodied person and you are not penalized for having diabetes.
Not sure what is meant by the coverage question ? I get HB1AC tests and see my diabetic doctor every 3 months, sometimes 6 months depending on how things are going.
You can get a separate dental insurance at your own cost, the public health insurance provides some basic checkups and cleansing but tends to differ from insurer to insurer. I am currently debating with my insurer that they should pay the dental bill as the infection impacted my blood sugar control.

When I was first diagnosed I had to pay 10% towards my medication i.e insulin & test strips but that seems to have stopped now.
One thing that annoys me about this system is every quarter you need to take your insurance card to the practice in order to get your prescription and there is no automatic repeat prescription, at least not in my practice.

In my experience, the UK seems to have more low carb 'treats' in the shops compared to Germany , such as sugar free jelly , low carb sweets etc etc.

I live in Hessen , near Frankfurt. Bavaria is a really beautiful region, we went through it on the way to Salzburg a few weeks ago, stunning.

 

[CarerOfType1]

It's around a 300 per month contribution for the public (mandatory) , that covers my whole family. Private is considerably more , I got a quote around 7-8 years ago so it may not be relevant now.
I pay the same as any other able bodied person and you are not penalized for having diabetes.
Not sure what is meant by the coverage question ? I get HB1AC tests and see my diabetic doctor every 3 months, sometimes 6 months depending on how things are going.
You can get a separate dental insurance at your own cost, the public health insurance provides some basic checkups and cleansing but tends to differ from insurer to insurer. I am currently debating with my insurer that they should pay the dental bill as the infection impacted my blood sugar control.

When I was first diagnosed I had to pay 10% towards my medication i.e insulin & test strips but that seems to have stopped now.
One thing that annoys me about this system is every quarter you need to take your insurance card to the practice in order to get your prescription and there is no automatic repeat prescription, at least not in my practice.

In my experience, the UK seems to have more low carb 'treats' in the shops compared to Germany , such as sugar free jelly , low carb sweets etc etc.

I live in Hessen , near Frankfurt. Bavaria is a really beautiful region, we went through it on the way to Salzburg a few weeks ago, stunning.

Thanks again @Wurst . I am pleased to hear that you are not being penalised by having to pay more for your health insurance due to the diabetes, that sounds like a good and fair policy in Germany. Thanks also for sharing the insurance cost, it's helpful to get a ballpark figure. Is it taken from your monthly wage before tax?

The coverage question referred to if it would be difficult for my husband to get accepted on an insurance scheme because he has already been diagnosed with Type 1. You mentioned that you had been living in Germany for a number of years before getting diagnosed.

Danke!

 

[Wurst]

Thanks again @Wurst . I am pleased to hear that you are not being penalised by having to pay more for your health insurance due to the diabetes, that sounds like a good and fair policy in Germany. Thanks also for sharing the insurance cost, it's helpful to get a ballpark figure. Is it taken from your monthly wage before tax?

The coverage question referred to if it would be difficult for my husband to get accepted on an insurance scheme because he has already been diagnosed with Type 1. You mentioned that you had been living in Germany for a number of years before getting diagnosed.

Danke!

Bitte. It's similar to your NI contribution in the UK, it's taken from you monthly wage before you even see it :-0 Another thing is church tax , you have to 'opt out' or you will be paying it monthly!

It would be bordering on discrimination if health insurers refused to insure him because of his disability. I changed my insurer ~ 3 years ago from AOK to TK without any issues, 1 year after T1 diagnosis. There is a law for everything here so I'm pretty sure that would be covered.

 

[CarerOfType1]

Some insurers do not cover people for pre existing conditions or put them on a more expensive policy so I am pleased to hear this is not the case in Germany. I will check out TK. Thanks!

 

[dann_oss]

Hello!

I am going to relocate from România to Germany together with my family, in the next few months. I will work as a self employee, so I have to take care by myself about my medical insurance.

In the first period, I will be the only family member who will have a job, so I am looking for the best option to get a private medical insurance for my entire family.
My wife has a type 1 Diabetes, so she will need all medication that she is currently having in Romania.

Do you maybe know a private insurance company that I can take, so my entire family could be co-insoured? That would be the best choice for me...

Considering my wife has a type 1 diabetes, what would be the costs for her medical insurance?

However, by my researches there are not so many privates insurance companies that covers the medications for type 1 diabetes.

Note that, I ve already contacted AOK, but they said I am not eligible for a state insurance.
I've contacted also Mawista, but they are not covering medical costs for type 1 diabetes.

I will highly appreciate any help from you!

Many thanks in advance!
Dan

 

[Antje77]

In my experience, the UK seems to have more low carb 'treats' in the shops compared to Germany , such as sugar free jelly , low carb sweets etc etc.

Your supemarkets have an awful lot of wonderful cheeses and meats, though!

 

[Deleted member 308541]

Two year old post people...

 

[Antje77]

Two year old post people...

And it still makes me want to go to a big German supermarket!

 

[lt79]

@Wurst Hi, saw your reply to the post above about "Living in Germany with Diabetis Type 1".
Since my employer, based in Berlin, offered to pay private health insurance, would you recommend Private over Public for a diabetic type 1 person?
Also, some private insurance companies like Ottonova won't accept people with this type of pre-existing condition, could you suggest any of your knowledge, if that's the case?
Thank you very much!!

LT79

 

[urbanracer]

@Wurst Hi, saw your reply to the post above about "Living in Germany with Diabetis Type 1".
Since my employer, based in Berlin, offered to pay private health insurance, would you recommend Private over Public for a diabetic type 1 person?
Also, some private insurance companies like Ottonova won't accept people with this type of pre-existing condition, could you suggest any of your knowledge, if that's the case?
Thank you very much!!

LT79

@lt79 , just letting you know that you are responding to a 1yr old thread (check the timestamp in bottom left corner of any post). User Wurst has not been around for a couple of weeks either.

 

[lt79]

@lt79 , just letting you know that you are responding to a 1yr old thread (check the timestamp in bottom left corner of any post). User Wurst has not been around for a couple of weeks either.

Thanks, saw that, but @Wurst seems the only knowleadgeable one on such specific topic.