Supplementary plans: how people with statutory health insurance upgrade their benefits

A supplementary plan is private supplementary insurance for people with statutory health insurance. It tops up the benefits of statutory health insurance without replacing them. Your statutory health insurance fund stays in place, and the supplementary plan covers what goes beyond the statutory catalog of benefits.

This makes the supplementary plan an alternative for everyone who wants more benefits but cannot or does not want to switch fully to private health insurance. As in private health insurance, the premium depends on entry age and state of health.

The most common gaps in statutory care are at the dentist and in hospital. This is exactly where most supplementary plans come in.

A dental supplement reimburses a higher share for dentures, implants and inlays and covers professional teeth cleaning. An inpatient supplement brings optional hospital services such as the single room and treatment by the chief physician. Outpatient components cover visual aids, alternative practitioners or extended preventive care. In addition, there is travel health insurance for trips abroad and a hospital daily allowance.

The main components at a glance:

Before you take out the policy, you answer health questions. The insurer asks about pre-existing conditions and uses them to set the premium and decide on acceptance. If you start young and healthy, you secure low premiums and avoid benefit exclusions.

Many dental plans also work with dental benefit limits. In the first years, the reimbursement is limited, and only after that does full cover apply. A treatment that a dentist has already recommended can usually no longer be insured. That is why it pays to take out the policy before a specific need arises.

The supplementary plan is often confused with the Beihilfe (i) supplementary plan. But the two have nothing to do with each other. The supplementary plan upgrades statutory care. The Beihilfe supplementary plan is meant for civil servants and closes gaps that arise between the Beihilfe of the public employer and the private plan. So if you are entitled to Beihilfe, you need a different component from someone with statutory health insurance.

Often, yes. The gaps in statutory care are large, especially for dentures and optional hospital services. A targeted supplementary plan closes them for a manageable premium.

Yes. You can cover dental care, hospital, outpatient benefits and travel abroad separately or as a bundle. It makes sense to choose only the areas where your care actually has gaps.