Additional services at the dentist can be expensive, and insurance companies can cover the costs.
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Cologne Going to the dentist can be expensive. Statutory health insurance companies only cover the costs of basic care. Private supplementary insurance can therefore be a good supplement. 90 percent of Germans have statutory health insurance.
Basically, 87 percent of the insured are very satisfied with their health insurance, as the Healthcare Barometer 2023 of the auditing and consulting firm PwC shows. However, the service catalog of the statutory funds is subject to the economic efficiency requirement from the Social Code: “Services must be sufficient, appropriate and economical.”
If you want more services, private supplementary insurance can be a good solution. “Insured persons should ask themselves what services they want,” says Michael Franke, Managing Director of the rating agency Franke and Bornberg/fb research. A thorough comparison of tariffs is essential. Offers and conditions vary greatly.
Private supplementary health insurance: These tariffs do best in the ranking
In order to give interested parties an assessment of the tariffs, the rating agency Franke and Bornberg took a close look at tariffs for private supplementary health insurance for the Handelsblatt. The quality of the tariffs accounts for 70 percent of the rating, and the price accounts for 30 percent. When making a selection, “cheap is cool” should not be the top priority. Quality should always be the top priority.
The table “The best supplementary health insurance” on this page provides a good overview of the tariffs for a person aged 30 years, you can find more sample cases in the tables here.
By far the most popular supplementary health insurance is for dental treatment. In total, almost 18 million people had taken out such a policy in 2021. Many people fear high costs when they need expensive dentures. Of the 26 tariffs examined, 18 were given the highest rating of “very good”. Five insurance companies achieved the maximum score of 100. They are therefore characterized by a first-class relationship between performance and price.
The “Mein Zahnschutz 90” tariff from Allianz Private Krankenversicherung is one of the top insurance policies in the field of dental treatment. The range of services includes costs for professional tooth cleaning up to the maximum rates of the fee schedule for dentists. Tooth bleaching, i.e. the whitening of teeth, is also included in the service catalogue.
The Allianz tariffs offer a choice. Customers can decide for themselves to what extent the additional policy should contribute to the costs. You can choose between paying 75, 90 or 100 percent of the costs. The bonuses are correspondingly different.
In the sample case of a person aged 30 and the “My tooth protection 90” tariff, the monthly premium is 14.75 euros. “Customers are as flexible as possible. You can switch between the variants during the term,” says Jan Esser, product director at Allianz Private Krankenversicherung.
The example of dentures shows that additional insurance for dental treatment can be worthwhile: if a tooth is missing, the gap can be closed with the help of a bridge or an implant. For a bridge, however, the tooth substance of possibly two healthy teeth must be ground down. With an implant, on the other hand, an artificial tooth root is anchored in the jawbone.
That’s expensive: an implant with a veneer metal-ceramic crown costs about 3,000 euros. The fixed subsidy from statutory health insurance is 558 euros for this sum, which means it covers around 20 percent of the total costs. The patient would have to pay the rest of around 2442 euros out of his own pocket. In this specific case, the supplementary insurance from Allianz with a coverage rate of 90 percent would cover 2142 euros in addition to the subsidy from the statutory health insurance company. The deductible is 300 euros.
The Süddeutsche Krankenversicherung with the “ZP1” tariff also came out top in the ranking with a maximum of 100 points. “ZP1 is a compact tariff that covers all important services with one tariff,” says Benno Schmeing, director of product management, operation and capital investment at Süddeutsche Krankenversicherung. It covers dentures as well as dental treatment in one tariff. “In this way we avoid hidden deductibles for our customers,” says Schmeing. Basically, the interest in teeth cleaning has increased recently. This service could also be used by young people who do not yet need any further dental treatment.
Many people also want first-class treatment in the hospital. For this reason, a total of six million people with statutory health insurance have opted for private supplementary inpatient insurance. It usually covers the additional costs for treatment by the chief physician and for accommodation in a one- or two-bed room. The rated tariffs even offer single rooms. Of the 26 tariffs examined, 13 received the top rating of “very good”. In the sample case of a person aged 30, the monthly premium for the tariffs rated “very good” is between EUR 34.68 and EUR 49.78.
The “SZL” tariff of the Süddeutsche Krankenversicherung is the only tariff to receive the maximum possible number of points of 100. In the sample case of a person aged 30, the monthly premium is 34.68 euros. The tariff has repeatedly received awards for its low premium and benefits.
The methodology of the ranking
“From a performance perspective, the insurance protection for the doctor of choice above the maximum rates of the fee schedule, the reimbursement for a single room and a daily hospital allowance of up to 100 euros per day should be emphasized,” says Frauke Fiegl, Chair of the Board of Ergo Krankenversicherung. Benefits for outpatient operations in hospitals are also included. The tariff thus offers private medical care for those with statutory health insurance. In addition, provisions for aging are included in the tariff.
Private supplementary outpatient insurance for visits to alternative practitioners
Anyone who also wants to be treated by a non-medical practitioner or would like further extras for outpatient treatment could also consider private outpatient supplementary insurance. Out of 20 tariffs examined, ten were awarded the highest grade of “very good” in the endurance test. The “More Health 1000” and “More Seeing” tariffs of Barmenia health insurance were awarded the highest grade of “very good”. You get 98 out of 100 possible points. A 30-year-old person has to pay a monthly premium of 21.50 euros when they join. The tariffs reimburse outpatient services up to a maximum of 2000 euros per year.
As a result of the corona pandemic, interest in private supplementary health insurance has increased significantly. “Health is an important topic that has been made even worse by Corona,” says Jan Esser, product director at Allianz private health insurance. In addition to classic insurance services, digital services are also playing an increasingly important role. This includes, for example, offers for the initial assessment of illnesses and telephone advice from doctors.
More: These are the best tariffs for private health insurance