Heinz Hoenig (72) has been fighting for his life in the hospital for days. The actor urgently needs to undergo heart surgery. Since he does not have health insurance, his family is now asking for donations. According to management, this is “a sum exceeding six figures that Mr. Hoenig cannot afford at this time due to lack of health insurance.”

His condition is critical, which is why he is in the intensive care unit in Berlin. He is accompanied by his wife Annika Kärsten-Hoenig (39), with whom he has two small children.

Only 1 percent of Germans do not have health insurance

Heinz Hoenig is a special case in Germany. According to federal health reports, of people who provided information about their health insurance coverage in 2021, 88.1 percent had statutory health insurance and 10.5 percent had private health insurance.

On the contrary, this means that only around one percent, i.e. 61,000 people, do not have health insurance in Germany. However, since the information is based on self-reports, the number of unreported cases could be much higher.

No health insurance: what that means

But how can that be? Especially in Germany one general medical insurance requirement There is a law that requires everyone residing in Germany to have legal or private health insurance.

Employees who perform jobs that require insurance (starting at €548 per month) are also automatically covered by health insurance. This also applies to recipients of unemployment benefits or citizen benefits. This is not the case for self-employed people or people with lower incomes. Membership in a health insurance company is not controlled.

Treatment without insurance? In case of a serious emergency, everyone in Germany receives treatment, even without health insurance coverage. However, you have to cover the costs yourself, if necessary through savings. If this is not enough, the social welfare office will be contacted, which will usually cover the costs. Attention: This usually only includes initial emergency care.

Without health insurance: here's what you should do

Make sure you get health insurance as soon as possible. To do this, contact your old insurance company. They are obliged to receive you back, regardless of your health status.

If you have never had health insurance, you will be assigned one of two systems:

• Employees are insured in a public health insurance company and
• Self-employed/self-employed with private health insurance.
• Consumer Care Center Advice: If you are unsure, you should first contact a legal health insurance company.

Attention: pending contributions normally have to be returned and this can be expensive. The consumer service center recommends: “Pay the lowest possible quote and agree to pay in installments to settle any debts that may have accumulated.”