janhoppo

We are a couple in our mid-50's who are planning on taking early retirement next year. We will both have our own pensions and will have proceeds from UK house sale (although we intend to buy a property in Germany). We know we can transfer our UK National Insurance Healthcare over to the German system. However, what else do we legally need to cover ourselves for with regards healthcare? What about the Care Insurance cover (Pfleger)? We will be getting our UK State Pensions at 66. What kind of money are we looking at to pay out each month?

Ray51

Could be , that you are asking the Forum too much in technical terms ?
Maybe someone can suggest a suitable expert , whom you could then consult ;
alternatively , my suggestion would be : take a trip for a few days ;
once in Calais/Dunkerque you dont pay for M-ways in France and Belgium ;
after which , Aachen is your nearest town ;
once you are there and parked , there'll be any number of friendly people ( in my experience ) to direct you to the right source , from your receptionist , your potential local bank branch , the tax adviser , many others .
Good Luck ( oh , and the healthcare itself is excellent , in my experiences ) !!!

janhoppo

Thanks for the answer. We drive regularly to Germany (Bavaria) 3-4 times a year - we actually stop overnight in Aachen or Heidelberg (nice Bauhaus store in Aachen, although Heidelberg OBI is quite good too), so I guess it is something we will have to ask our Bavarian friends where we self-cater, or someone more technically experienced when we are next out there in 3 weeks time. I just wanted to get other people's take on and 'experiences' who are British expats who have been living in Germany and doing it for some time. Our next trip will be more of a fact-finding mission as we are meeting with the property developer to deal with paperwork from Notar, so perhaps we will have to visit one of the local Krankenkasse offices as well.

Ray51

I only tried to assist with ( what I thoght would be) a helpful suggestion , since my family have used the German healthcare from time to time ( not always warranted ) , always with great satisfaction .
In particular , the Mannheim University Clinic has been superb , in all aspects .

However , you are correct to note that I am in Bruxelles ;
which also means that an excellent private med. cover ( Mutuelle ) for 2 adults now costs 32 Euros per quarter and does not exclude any preexisting conditions , whilst also covering a good deal of dental , optical , medicaments etc . ;
and that , usually , I can see a professor/specialist within 24-48 hours ( when they are in town ) , without needing to consult a GP first .
Makes one think , doesn't it ?

janhoppo

Wow! Certainly does make one think. Sounds so much better than what we get here in the UK. Surely the system in Germany must work on similar lines for a similar payment? Anyway, I know I will have to ask these questions when we actually get out there in September. I think your quality of life is far better in some parts of Europe, no matter what people might think. I always think the quality of fruit and vegetables is much better too.

Ray51

Sorry , I really can't help with the German health-costs and systems ;
I seem to have read or been told that there are different levels of cover/depending on various things .
BTW , this also exists in France and in Belgium : the essential cover would refund you around 70-80% of the total charges you paid up-front ( the refund can take 7 to 14 days , straight into your bank A/c and you can check your Mutuelle outstandings and balances on the net ) , but you can also buy a "top-up" e.g. from DKV , which insurance then takes care of the balances - a very personal decision , I think .
There is a lady in Bavaria on this Forum , posting sometimes as someting like "not at home" ( not sure if that all may be one word ? ) who would probably know much about this ; maybe she is on holiday now , who knows - or : see if you can p.m. her , as usually she has been very informative and cooperative . Alternatively , if noone else can offer a valid input , than it's back to the Plan B , or getting the info from the horse's mouth , on your next visit to Vaderland .
Much as I like travelling there , not sure if being on the Autobahns this month is such a good idea . Good Luck !

janhoppo

As you have suggested I have messaged 'notathome' to see if she can give me some answers, but alternatively I will go to Plan B. Hopefully when we travel during the first week in September the German holiday traffic might have calmed down. The stretch between Stuggart and Munich is always horrible anyway, and trying to go a different way via Frankfurt isnt much better. Nothing can be as bad as the 3hour Stau we experienced between Singen and the Bodensee. We sat and went nowhere until the Police decided to turn us all around, which caused even more havoc. Usually I prefer the German Autobahns to British, at least you can go fast on the unrestricted bits, although I can never go as fast as some Germans! Scary stuff.

Ray51

Alternatively : have you tried the Namur , Arlon , Luxembourg motorway ( the cheapest fuel in EUrope , must fill up in Lux , BP on your right-hand side of M-Way will do ) ?
Then you go via Saarbruecken which is not ever all that busy and Karlsruhe may be nice for a restful night and the next morning ( good produce market ) ; hopefully , you are not in too much of a rush ?
but after that , the traffic is unpredictable , especially as you get nearer to Stuttgart and Muenich .

My secret advice , to whoever is interested : go further , suffer the Austrian vignettes and tunnels , then you can be in Slovenia ( clean , unpolluted , 100% safe , cheaper , better food and alltogether more liveable ) .