BOOKING BLUE: THE BERLIN CS NEWSLETTER MARCH 2013 VOL.2 ED. 3 | Page 11

What’s up, doc?

MICHELE CARLONI TAKES US ON A SHORT JOURNEY
THROUGH THE GERMAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
Anyone planning on a long-term stay in Berlin has to do it soon or
later: going through the country’s health care system and choosing a
doctor.
If you've managed to wiggle your way into the country without
health insurance, in fact, you won't be able to stay that way for long.
To get a visa or a residence permit, you have to be insured and you
have to have the documents to prove it. Apparently, ninety percent
of the popula on subscribes to the public programme
(Krankenkasse), which is compulsory unless you are above a certain
income bracket. The other 10 percent have private insurance.
It‘s unlikely doctors in Germany will be willing to see pa ents who
don't have health insurance. You can decide whether you want a
public or private insurance, a German programme or keep the one
from your home country. For example, UK ci zens who pay for the
Bri sh Na onal Health Service can get medical and dental treatment
in Germany for free, if they have an E111 form from a UK post
office. Each country has is own regula ons and some mes it may be
more convenient to keep the original insurance that to change it
into a German one.
With TK, Techniker Krankenkasse, you can accumulate points and
get a par al refund a the end of the year. It works like that: they
issue a special patent, a kind of document which can get stamped
every me you go to see a doctor, a den st or go to a fitness studio,
even when you a end a yoga lesson. The amount of money to
receive back is calculated on how many stamps you have.
If you want a doctor who speaks English, most embassies in Berlin
distribute lists of English-speaking doctors.
To remember: in case of a medical emergency, call the fire
department (Feuerwehr) by dialling 112. Fire department vehicles
func on as ambulances in Germany but they will take you only to
the nearest hospital.
Private emergency services (Ärztlicher Notdienst) will send doctors
and den sts to your home, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To
reach them, dial 19 242.

USEFUL LINKS
See the English page ot TK, Techniker Krankenkasse:
h p://www.tk.de/tk/social-security-in-germany/your-healthinsurance/576896
For ar sts and jorunalists who work as freelancer there is a
specialized and cheap insurance organisa on:
h p://www.bmkb.de/wir.html
For travellers and expats, see also:
h p://www.healthcareinterna onal.com/index.php
Well kown is also Bupa, a leading interna onal expatriate health
insurer:
h p://quote.bupa-intl.com/?cmpid=aff-ac01160103