The German health insurance system can be a bit if a minefield for those who aren't used to dealing with it, especially if your German isn't quite yet up to scratch. I've lived in Germany for coming up to 6 years now and I am only just starting to make full use of what my health insurance has to offer me.
Beyond your standard care, doctors visits, hospital stay etc etc, there is the opportunity to have 'preventative' fitness classes paid in a large part by your health insurance. I kid you not. The exact type of courses that are covered, the percentage of the cost that is reimbursed etc can vary dependent on the health insurance so please make sure to contact your health insurer first to ask what your insurance covers. Here is a general overview of what could well be available from your health insurance:
Beyond your standard care, doctors visits, hospital stay etc etc, there is the opportunity to have 'preventative' fitness classes paid in a large part by your health insurance. I kid you not. The exact type of courses that are covered, the percentage of the cost that is reimbursed etc can vary dependent on the health insurance so please make sure to contact your health insurer first to ask what your insurance covers. Here is a general overview of what could well be available from your health insurance:
What is Often Covered?
'Preventative' courses that deal with:
Where Can I Find the Courses that will be Partially Reimbursed?
Not all fitness courses will be covered in this scheme. Before signing up to a course, make sure to ask the instructor if they know that the classes qualify. A number of places/instructors that do fitness classes in Berlin will advertise that their class is 80% covered by the health insurance so keep an eye out for those.
How Does it Work?
Once you've found a course that qualifies and you are sure your provider will reimburse a percentage of the cost, you pay the full fee up front. Make sure you receive a receipt (Quittung) for the course and keep the receipt somewhere safe. At the end of the course, you will receive a piece of paperwork from your instructor with details of the course and the benefits it provides. You attach the receipt to this piece of paperwork and send it to your health insurance asking for the reimbursement (Erstattung).
Extra Useful for Pregnant Women in Berlin
If you are pregnant you can make good use of this offer and have various therapies/classes covered in part and sometimes in full by your health insurance. Helpful gynaecologists and midwives can give you more information on this. Some classes will need to have been officially recommended by your midwife or doctor first.
Further Health in Berlin related posts can be found here.
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'Preventative' courses that deal with:
- Movement
- Nutrition
- Relaxation, Stress relief
- Burnout prevention
Where Can I Find the Courses that will be Partially Reimbursed?
Not all fitness courses will be covered in this scheme. Before signing up to a course, make sure to ask the instructor if they know that the classes qualify. A number of places/instructors that do fitness classes in Berlin will advertise that their class is 80% covered by the health insurance so keep an eye out for those.
How Does it Work?
Once you've found a course that qualifies and you are sure your provider will reimburse a percentage of the cost, you pay the full fee up front. Make sure you receive a receipt (Quittung) for the course and keep the receipt somewhere safe. At the end of the course, you will receive a piece of paperwork from your instructor with details of the course and the benefits it provides. You attach the receipt to this piece of paperwork and send it to your health insurance asking for the reimbursement (Erstattung).
Extra Useful for Pregnant Women in Berlin
If you are pregnant you can make good use of this offer and have various therapies/classes covered in part and sometimes in full by your health insurance. Helpful gynaecologists and midwives can give you more information on this. Some classes will need to have been officially recommended by your midwife or doctor first.
Further Health in Berlin related posts can be found here.
Berlin for all the Family can also be found on:
Sign up to the BFATF email newsletter to receive the latest posts
direct in your inbox here.
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