Health insurance for retirees
The health insurance of pensioners ( KVdR ) is a status of the insured in the statutory health insurance , without it being an independent health insurance. Pensioners with a pension from the German Pension Insurance are compulsorily insured in their respective statutory health insurance through the pensioners' health insurance if they
- apply for this pension in writing
- are entitled to a pension and
- meet the previous insurance period.
Anyone who does not meet these conditions, but was most recently compulsorily insured, voluntarily insured or family insured, continues their insurance as a voluntary membership. The legal basis of the health insurance for pensioners is mainly § 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 11-12 SGB V.
Health insurance for pensioners was introduced in Germany on August 1st, 1941. Before that, destitute sick pensioners fell into public welfare.
Previous insurance period
The previous insurance period is deemed to have been fulfilled if, from the first time you took up gainful employment until the application for a pension, at least 9 / 10th of the second half of this period has been a member of statutory health insurance (GKV) as compulsory, voluntary or family insurance. If you cannot be a member of the GKV for professional reasons (abroad or employed by an international organization), it is possible to pay an entitlement with dormant benefit entitlement ( § 16 SGB V) monthly so that these periods count as previous insurance periods.
Contribution rate
Health insurance for pensioners was initially free of charge for them. In 1983 the black-yellow coalition decided on a health insurance contribution of initially 5% of the pension income.
Since January 1, 2009, pensioners with compulsory KVdR insurance have been subject to the uniform general contribution rate ( § 241 , § 247 I SGB V), half of which is borne by the pensioner and half by the pension insurance company.
Until the end of 2014, pensioners paid an additional 0.9% ( Section 249a SGB V); from 2015 to 2018, each pensioner paid the individual additional contribution to their health insurance (2015 average 0.9% and 2016 average 1.1%).
Since January 1, 2019, the pension insurance and the pensioner have each paid half of the additional contribution.
Other Income
Do pensioners with compulsory KVdR insurance have additional income, e.g. B. from a company pension scheme (no private pension insurance, no Riester pension), or income from self-employment, contributions are to be paid to the KVdR for these payments. The pensioner pays the full contribution rate for this income and does not share the contribution with the paying agent of the company pension scheme or the income from self-employed work ( Section 249a SGB V). If a pensioner who continues to work is compulsorily insured in the artists' social insurance fund, he shares the contribution rate with the artist's social insurance fund and is directly insured with his or her respective health insurance company.
From January 1, 2020, there is an exemption of EUR 159.25 for company pension schemes.
Formalia
Insofar as there is no minimum commitment period, the health insurance company can be freely chosen.
Membership begins on the day the pension application is submitted ( Section 186 IX SGB V).
Widows, widowers and half or full orphans, regardless of age, are deemed to be pensioners from the time they are drawn.
literature
- Hans Hungenberg, Jürgen Steffens: Health insurance of pensioners , 3rd, completely revised edition, Asgard-Verlag Hippe, Sankt Augustin 1983, series of publications: Fortbildung und Praxis 51.
- Karl Becker: 100 [hundred] years of statutory health insurance: development, crisis, solutions in the health insurance of pensioners , (further title: Programmed collapse of the GKV? ), Medical Pharmaceutical Study Society , Mainz 1982, ISBN 3-922388-15-9 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Federal Constitutional Court, decision of the 3rd Chamber of the First Senate of June 3, 2014
- ↑ Stuttgarter Nachrichten, 125 years of retirement
- ↑ Leaflet R815: Health insurance for pensioners (KVdR) and long-term care insurance. German Federal Pension Insurance (PDF; 126 kB)
- ↑ BMG: From August 1st, 2017 access to health insurance for pensioners improved
- ↑ The entitlement in the statutory health insurance