Tips on what to do if you become ill in Munich
No matter how many years any of us has lived abroad or how well assimilated we are in the culture and customs of this country, there are times when the feeling of being “foreign” can be depressing and demoralizing, and this is never truer than when we are sick. The combination of physical frailty, unaccustomed medication and incomprehensible medical jargon can reduce even the most stoic of us to a bundle of misery. While “Red Tape” cannot cure sickness, at least some of the basics of the German medical system can be outlined here.Having medical insurance in Germany is imperative. The type of insurance you take out will depend mainly on whether you are working freelance (freiberuflich) or under contract (festangestellt). Freelancers need to take out private health insurance (private Krankenversicherung), whereas those employed by a company or organization automatically join one of the state health insurance companies (gesetzliche Krankenkassen). In some cases freelancers who were previously working under contract can remain in the state health insurance scheme. There are more than 300 of these—the AOK (Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse), the Barmerersatzkasse and the DAK (Deutsche Angestellten Krankenkasse) are the biggest and best known—and contributions, of which 50 percent is paid by the employer, are about 14 percent of one’s salary.
Freelancers searching for a suitable private insurance may like to begin by looking at the Web sites of the international health insurers such as BUPA, www.bupa.com, or PPP at www.ppphealthcare.co.uk who will cover expats living in Germany, or at German companies, for example the DKV (Deutsche Krankenversicherung), www.dkv.com, who have information in English. As well as checking the services (Leistungen) of individual insurance companies, it is worthwhile finding out which require the patient to pay on the spot and which accept receipts.
Obviously, it makes sense to search out a general practitioner (allgemeiner Facharzt or Hausarzt) with whom you feel comfortable before getting sick. Though many embassies have a list of English-speaking doctors this is merely a courtesy service and should not be regarded as a recommendation of individual medical practitioners. In addition anyone with state insurance must remember to look for a sign outside the practice saying Alle Kassen (all insurances) as some doctors take only private patients. If you are suffering from an illness that needs special treatment your general practitioner can give you a referral (Überweisung) for a specialist (Facharzt), though you can also go to a specialist directly. When making an appointment (Termin) you can either call in advance or go during open consultation hours (Sprechstunde). In both cases be prepared to wait, sometimes for one hour or more. If you are privately insured and need medication, take the prescription (Rezept) to a pharmacy (Apotheke), where you will have to pay up front. Make sure to get the prescription stamped as it will have to be submitted to your insurance company for reimbursement (Rückerstattung).
Should you become ill over a weekend or at night the emergency medical services (ärztlicher Notdienst; Tel. [089] 55 17 71) will send a doctor to your home. This service is covered by both public and private insurance. There is also a 24-hour service provided by pharmacies based on a system of rotation. To find out which pharmacy is open in your area either call the emergency services number above, or ask your local pharmacy for a list—most will also have this information displayed in the window.
Now, working on the principle that once you have important information, you will never need it, a happy and healthy holiday to you all.
