In fact, almost 60% of all students do not consider the issue of international health insurance while they are planning their stay in another country. Should an accident or serious illness occur during the semester abroad, this can lead to major financial difficulties if the health insurance in Germany does not cover the costs. This is particularly the case in non-EU countries and countries outside Europe.

International health insurance for students and language students covers the following costs costswhere normal statutory health insurance no longer pays anything. It covers various services, be it medication or repatriation to the home country.

Both students and language students who are going abroad for a longer period of time should take out international health insurance. This applies not only if you are staying at a university or language school outside the EU, but also in other cases. The European Health Insurance Card, or EHIC for short, which is issued by the normal health insurance company in your home country, does cover basic medical care - but only up to the rate that is also common in Germany. Surprisingly, the cost of healthcare treatment in other European countries is generally more expensive than in Germany. However, as German statutory health insurance only reimburses the German cost rate, you would be stuck with the difference. This is why you need student health insurance abroad.

Benefits:

Important: Outside of Europe, statutory health insurance does not cover you at all. If, for example, you need to be treated in a clinic in Madrid for a specific illness, your international health insurance will cover the costs. Normal health insurance would no longer cover these costs - and this can quickly become very expensive without additional insurance.

The benefits generally include costs for medication, medical treatment and possible repatriation home. The money is subsequently reimbursed by the insurance company.

However, the exact benefits for student health insurance abroad must be discussed individually with the insurance company in advance and set out in the contract so that there are no nasty surprises. It is also important to know how long the international health insurance covers. On average, such a policy is valid for one to three months, unless it is explicitly a long-term international health insurance policy.

As a privately insured student, you may enjoy the same comprehensive cover when traveling abroad as you do in Germany. This applies at least mostly to EU countries and up to a maximum period of one year. In countries that do not belong to the EU, such as the USA, insurance cover is often only valid for a few months, which is often barely enough for a whole semester. However, the exact regulations are different for each health insurance company.

It is therefore important to check a contract and the conditions very carefully and, if in doubt, to change the tariff or take out student health insurance abroad. As this cannot be done spontaneously before the trip, you should consider the issue several months before departure and choose a suitable insurer.

If you fall ill as a student abroad without having taken out international health insurance, you can expect to be asked to pay for medical treatment immediately: Treatments must be paid for immediately, the bill for which can then be submitted later to the health insurance company, which will then reimburse the money. This can quickly become a major problem for young people, who often don't have a lot of savings anyway.

Good international health insurance covers the most important costs for medical treatment, whether outpatient or inpatient. It also covers the cost of medication and repatriation home, if this is reasonable and justifiable from a medical point of view. If students or language school pupils need to be treated after an accident or due to an illness, the international health insurance will generally cover these costs. You don't have to worry about anything and can concentrate fully on your recovery.

What costs are not covered by international health insurance?

Unfortunately, not all possible benefits are included in travel insurance: There are almost always some clauses in the contract that explicitly exclude cases from the insurance cover. You can usually recognize these clauses in the small print when they begin with "No obligation to pay benefits exists...". These often include chronic illnesses, for example. However, what exactly is paid for and what is not should always be discussed individually with the insurer - and this is essential before a policy is taken out.

Everything that is not explained verbatim in the policy should also be covered in writing. This way, you can protect yourself and don't have to worry about losing your money if you submit an invoice for emergency allergy treatment to the international health insurance company and they suddenly reply that this case is not covered at all.

No, you must be on German soil for this, as otherwise it is not possible for the insurance company to check the time of the illness.

It is therefore important that the travel insurance covers the entire period during which you are abroad. There are special insurance policies for language students and students who are enrolled at a university or language school abroad for a semester or longer. With most insurers, students can take out insurance for a maximum period of five years, after which they will need to take out insurance again. In addition, travel health insurance policies are often subject to a maximum entry age, which for policies for students and language students is a maximum of 34 years .

More and more credit card providers are offering their customers special international health insurance as part of the credit card contract. The bill for medical treatment or medication abroad is then paid directly via the credit card provider. At first glance, this is quite attractive for all credit card holders, but you should not be too blinded by this.

The benefits are often tied to certain conditions and are very limited. For example, it is often the case that the credit card provider covers the costs of basic medical care, but not special treatment in private clinics or medication. It is in your own interest to check this and discuss it with the insurer if necessary. In most cases, it is always better to take out an additional policy that really provides comprehensive cover abroad. Under no circumstances should you automatically rely on the fact that the term "travel insurance" will suffice. In the worst case, this can lead to a nasty misunderstanding with expensive consequences.

Insurance conditions and tariff information for Bernhard special tariffs for international health insurance for students can be found here:

Insurance conditions

Only the contents and wording of the insurance policy and the insurance conditions are legally binding.