Retirement: how to pay cheaper health insurance premiums in retirement

It’s a fact: as soon as you retire, your health insurance contribution also changes. This may well become a financial burden in retirement. But there are ways to pay more favorable contributions.
One option is to choose a less expensive health insurance plan. But that’s not the only option. Another option is to take action yourself as a retiree and reduce health insurance costs by planning and making provisions for retirement.
This article is about how to pay cheaper health insurance premiums in retirement and what steps you need to take to do so. We discuss several options and provide tips on how to lower costs as you age.

Why premiums may rise in retirement

When you retire, not only does your daily routine change, so does your health insurance. You will still have to pay contributions, but they may increase depending on your insurance status.

This is because when you retire, you are no longer covered by statutory health insurance, but are usually automatically enrolled in the retirees’ health insurance scheme (KVdR). Here, the contribution rate depends not only on your income, but also on the amount of pension you receive.

The higher your pension, the higher your health insurance contributions will be. To avoid this increase, however, you can make your own provisions and take out voluntary statutory insurance. Here, the contributions depend only on your income and thus remain constant – regardless of how high your pension turns out to be.

• So it’s worth looking into the issue early and thinking about how you can pay cheaper health insurance premiums in retirement.
• Above all, people who expect a large pension should consider whether voluntary membership in the public health insurance system is a better option for them.

How to pay cheaper contributions in retirement

When you’re retired, you want to focus primarily on your health and not worry about high health insurance premiums. However, there are a few ways you can pay cheaper health insurance premiums even in retirement.

As a retiree, you often have more time and can take advantage of some exams and treatments outside of expensive emergency or weekend services. Even limited rates of health insurance companies are usually cheaper and still offer sufficient protection. It is therefore worthwhile to check carefully what offers are available and what conditions must be met in order to receive these favorable premiums.

• Another tip is to negotiate with your own health insurance company. Even in retirement, you can negotiate with your health insurance provider about the amount of your premiums. Given that a lot of time and money is invested in retaining customers, health insurance companies are often willing to cater to their customers’ needs and offer lower premiums.
• Alternatively, one can also take out a supplementary insurance voucher. Because health insurance companies often only cover the cost of basic services. However, if you take out additional insurance, you can also get coverage for alternative medicine, for example, and save money.

So there are several ways to pay cheaper premiums at the health insurance in retirement. You should take time to study the different options and then choose the best one. After all, it’s all about maintaining your health and enjoying your old age to the fullest – without having to worry about the cost.