A big bang for the many AOK insured people! The health insurance company with around 27 million members is now taking a radical step that EVERY insured person will feel. Because it wants to close 18 locations in North Rhine-Westphalia by mid-2025. The reason is obvious: As life becomes more and more digital, the AOK also wants to take this logical path.
That’s why the health insurance company is increasingly relying on a digital offering and wants to gradually close the customer centers in North Rhine-Westphalia. For the insured, this means that you have to familiarize yourself with the app and there is no local contact person.
NRW: AOK takes a radical step
According to its own information, the AOK wants to change its location concept for the Westphalia-Lippe region. That is why 18 locations in North Rhine-Westphalia are to close. For example, in the Ruhr area, branches in Gelsenkirchen, Bochum and Dortmund are affected. But the customer center in Plettenberg will also be closing soon. After all, 47 customer centers in North Rhine-Westphalia will remain open.
This would allow around 2.3 million insured people from the region to continue to receive personal advice and support, according to the AOK. Specifically affected by the closure on June 30, 2025 are the branches in Arnsberg, Blomberg, Bocholt, Bochum-Wattenscheid, Dortmund-Brackel, Emsdetten, Gelsenkirchen-Buer or Gelsenkirchen-Mitte, Halle, Kreuztal, Lennestadt, Lübbecke, Lüdinghausen, Menden, Neunkirchen, Plettenberg, Schmallenberg, Warburg and Winterberg.
More news:
Insured people have to adapt
In the future, the AOK wants to focus more on digital offerings anyway. The majority of customers would already contact the insurer digitally, for example via their own app or online portal. You can request personal data or submit documents. It remains to be seen how older insured people in particular will accept the radical step…
