In private health insurance (PKV), the contributions increase with age. Since the incomes of many people fall when they retire, this poses a problem for many older insured persons. So-called contribution relief tariffs are intended to provide a remedy, because insured persons can save money to mitigate the high contribution increases in retirement age.
In the years with better income, the insured make additional payments so that their contribution increases are less high at retirement age. It is basically a kind of savings contract or pension insurance that pays out a monthly pension in old age, which is offset against the private health insurance contributions. According to the Hamburg Consumer Center (VZHH) however, several pitfalls.
- According to VZHH, the contract is quite expensive and the capital saved for the contribution relief only earns very low interest. In addition, the insurance assumes “Methuselah life expectancies”, so that most consumers would no longer get the money they paid in.
- If the insured changes to another insurance company or to statutory health insurance, the money saved is usually not paid out. Even if the insured dies before or shortly after the start of the payments, the heirs go away empty-handed, according to the consumer advocates.
- As a rule, the contribution for the relief tariff must continue to be paid in retirement age. “You ask yourself: What is an insurance policy for which you have to continue paying when it pays out?” Comment the consumer advocates. The actual relief therefore only consists of the difference between the contribution still paid and the actual reduction in the health insurance contribution.
“The additional tariff module may be useful for privately insured employees, whose employers take over part of the costs and who can deduct their expenses from tax,” write the consumer advocates. They recommend other PKV members who are dissatisfied with the price-performance ratio of their insurance to change their tariff.
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