Rooming-in: staying in hospital with your child

Plans with a rooming-in benefit reimburse the overnight costs and the meals of the accompanying parent. The daily rate varies by plan, usually between €20 and €80 per night. The age limits also depend on the plan. The benefit often applies until the child's 8th or 12th birthday. These figures are guide values. The exact contract details depend on the plan and the insurer.

In statutory health insurance, you have a right to have a parent admitted along with the child if this is medically necessary. However, reimbursement is limited. In private health insurance, the rules are more generous. Many plans reimburse rooming-in without any own share up to the child's age limit, and you do not need to prove medical necessity.

Some hospitals send a separate bill for the parent's bed. Submitting this bill to your insurer is the right step, because not all policyholders know that these costs can be reimbursed.

If you compare plans as a parent of young children, check the rooming-in benefit explicitly. What matters is not only whether rooming-in is covered at all, but also up to which age of the child the benefit applies and how much of the costs is reimbursed. Depending on the plan, private insurers pay a fixed daily rate or reimburse the costs within certain upper limits. If the benefit is not reimbursed or only in part, you may have to pay extra costs yourself.

Before a planned hospital stay, parents should therefore clarify whether and to what extent the plan covers the admission of a parent. Age limits, daily rates and upper reimbursement limits decide how much is actually paid when it matters.