Insurance pool: the community behind your private health insurance plan

An open pool is a plan that is actively marketed and regularly takes in new, younger insured people. This keeps the age structure stable. A closed pool is a plan that is no longer offered to new customers. Without new members, the pool ages automatically, benefit spending rises and premiums adjust.

If you are in an old, closed plan, you should check whether a plan change with the same insurer into an active plan with a younger pool makes sense.

Premium adjustments in private health insurance are often misunderstood. They are not triggered by the health behavior of the individual, but by the average claims experience in the pool. If you personally use few benefits, you still pay more when the pool as a whole becomes more expensive.

This is particularly clear with insurers that manage closed legacy portfolios with many older insured people. A shrinking and ageing pool tends to lead to rising premiums, even if your own use of benefits stays unremarkable.

The right to change plan under § 204 VVG allows you to switch to another plan of the same insurer without new health questions. If you are in an ageing, closed legacy plan, you can use it to move into a younger pool and benefit from more stable premium development in the long run.

We recommend that you check whether your own plan is still actively marketed if you see striking premium adjustments. A switch to a younger pool of the same insurer can help keep premiums stable in the long run.