Basistarif: minimum cover with a legal obligation to accept

The legal basis of the Basistarif (i) is § 193 VVG in conjunction with § 152 VAG. However, the Basistarif is not open to everyone. Under § 152 (2) VAG, four groups are entitled:

• people with voluntary statutory insurance, within six months after they become able to switch to private health insurance
• people living in Germany who are neither subject to compulsory statutory insurance nor have comprehensive private health insurance
• people entitled to Beihilfe (i)BeihilfeThe state healthcare allowance for civil servants. The Beihilfestelle pays a fixed share of medical costs, the Beihilfesatz, and private insurance covers the rest.More about Beihilfe →, for the supplementary cover
• privately insured people whose contract was concluded after December 31, 2008

In practice, this means: the Basistarif (i) is not a way into private health insurance for someone who wants to join for the first time and does not meet the regular conditions of entry. It is a safety net for people who are already privately insured or for very specific switching situations.

The obligation to contract in the Basistarif (i) applies without health questions. Pre-existing conditions lead neither to a rejection nor to a risk surcharge. The uniform premium is the price for a scope of benefits that is considerably more limited than in a regular private plan.

The scope of benefits of the Basistarif (i) corresponds to that of statutory health insurance. This means: no chief physician treatment, no single room, no extended dental benefits beyond the statutory level. Reimbursement for glasses or other visual aids is also capped at the statutory level. If you are used to high-quality private benefits, you will notice a clear reduction in the range of benefits in the Basistarif.

Special rules also apply to doctors in the Basistarif (i). For patients in this plan, they may charge no more than 1.2 times the GOÄ rate for most medical services (agreement under § 75 (3b) SGB V), which is considerably less than for regular private patients. This can affect their willingness to treat you.

Our recommendation: only consider the Basistarif (i) when the regular private options are exhausted. If you meet the requirements for private health insurance and have a choice, a plan on the open market almost always serves you better in benefits and long-term premium stability.

Usually not. It is a legal safety net with a capped premium, not a low-cost entry plan. In a comparison of private health insurance plans, regular plans usually offer more benefits for your money.