Berlin (dpa/tmn)
If you are traveling for a longer period of time or are studying in another country, you should take out insurance for medical emergencies. The policies are often not cheap – all the more important is the price comparison.
Whether for a sabbatical year, a student exchange or a trip around the world: If you are abroad for a longer period of time, you should think about long-term international health insurance. Stiftung Warentest recommends them from a period of six weeks.
The policies are not to be confused with cheap travel health insurance for shorter vacations, some of which are available for less than ten euros in an annual contract.
With long-term health insurance abroad, there is protection for a period of up to five years, depending on the provider. The prices depend on the term of the policy, the age of the policyholder, the scope of benefits and the countries covered.
Medical treatments in the USA and Canada are very expensive in comparison, which is why insurers differentiate between global tariffs that cost more and those that exclude these countries or that only apply in Europe and around the Mediterranean.
Large price gap in examined tariffs
In its magazine “Finanztest” (issue 5/23), Stiftung Warentest compared 82 tariffs for long trips from 27 providers and found large price differences.
Comparing is worthwhile and saves a lot of money when in doubt – with global tariffs with a travel duration of 365 days, for example, people over 60 years of age can save several thousand euros in the financial test comparison.
A tip from the experts: Calculate the duration of the trip and thus the term of the policy generously. “Those who return earlier will receive a proportionate refund,” the report says. On the other hand, if you want to extend the insurance contract abroad, you may look into the tube. There is rarely a guarantee that this will work.
Overall, there is a large selection of policies with a decent range of services: 27 of the 82 tariffs achieved the top rating of “very good”.
For what the insurance companies pay
According to Stiftung Warentest, the policies cover necessary treatment as a result of illness or an accident.
It is also important that the return transport to Germany is paid for when it makes medical sense and is justifiable and not only when it is medically necessary. With one exception, however, all the insurers examined accept this.
According to the report, precautionary checks and vaccinations are generally not reimbursed by long-term foreign health insurance companies. As is so often the case, it pays to take a look at the insurance conditions before signing the contract.
Two tips from Stiftung Warentest: During your stay abroad, it can make sense to deregister with your local health insurance company or to suspend health insurance. This saves contributions. And: If you move permanently to another country, you have to look around for health insurance there.
