For people with chronic diseases, questions like whether they can buy insurance, how to buy it, and whether it will affect compensation after purchase often leave them confused. Today, let's have a simple chat about these issues to help those with chronic diseases choose insurance better.

Chronic diseases refer to long - standing and hard - to - cure illnesses, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high blood lipid. These conditions can affect patients' health and may also make insurance companies assess risks when underwriting.

People with mild chronic diseases (like mild high blood pressure or blood sugar fluctuations) can usually buy some critical illness insurance or medical insurance with looser health declarations. But there aren't many such products, and they may be pricey.

Those with severe chronic diseases (like poorly controlled high blood pressure or advanced diabetes) may not be able to buy traditional critical illness or medical insurance. However, they can consider cancer insurance, accident insurance, etc. These insurance products usually have looser health declaration requirements, and some don't even need a health declaration.^[1]

How can people with chronic diseases buy insurance with pre - existing conditions?

When buying insurance, people with chronic diseases must fill out the health declaration form truthfully and provide accurate medical history information. They should avoid hiding their conditions because it may affect compensation or invalidate the policy. After purchase, the insurance company will conduct underwriting, which is divided into intelligent underwriting and manual underwriting. Intelligent underwriting is usually faster, while manual underwriting may take more time. So, people with chronic diseases can choose intelligent underwriting to save time and energy.

Is it better to buy insurance online or offline?^[2]

Online insurance purchase: You can buy insurance through the insurance company's official website or third - party platforms. It's convenient, fast, and the prices are transparent. Especially for people with chronic diseases, online platforms can offer personalized insurance purchase suggestions to help you choose the most suitable products. It also avoids face - to - face pressure.

Offline insurance purchase: Buying through traditional insurance company branches or familiar agents is suitable for customers who need more detailed explanations. Offline purchase may offer more personalized services, but it takes longer and the prices may not be as transparent.

Overall, online insurance purchase is more recommended for people with chronic diseases, especially those who need to customize insurance according to their health conditions. Through online platforms, you can get suggestions more quickly, make comparisons, and find suitable insurance.

Will successful insurance purchase affect compensation for people with chronic diseases?

After successful insurance purchase, compensation for people with chronic diseases is generally not affected, as long as they truthfully declare their health conditions and choose appropriate insurance products when buying. However, if they hide their medical history or their health conditions don't meet the insurance requirements, the insurance company may reject the compensation claim. Common reasons for claim rejection include not truthfully declaring health conditions, the claim not meeting the contract terms, or hitting the exclusion clauses. So, people with chronic diseases need to pay special attention to the exclusion clauses in the contract to ensure they won't be rejected during compensation.

Special regulations for people with severe chronic diseases：

If a patient's chronic disease reaches a certain level of severity, Germany's health insurance system provides additional protection measures. For example, people with severe chronic diseases don't need to pay more than 1% of their income as additional fees each year. To be recognized as a "severe chronic disease patient", the disease needs to be under continuous treatment for at least one year, and the patient needs regular doctor check - ups and treatment. Such patients may also need to prove that their disease won't endanger their lives, reduce their life expectancy, or lead to a long - term decline in their quality of life.

In addition, patients can apply to be classified as care level 3 (Pflegegrad 3), which is for those who need long - term care due to their illness.

How to prove the severity of a chronic disease?

If you or your family member has a severe chronic disease, you need to ask your family doctor to fill out form 55 and submit it to your public medical insurance company. This form will help the insurance company determine the new additional fee amount. Also, if you've been classified as a care level 3 patient before or changed insurance companies in the past year, you need to provide a certificate from your previous insurance company.

How can people with chronic diseases manage their health insurance more easily?

Understand your medical network

When choosing health insurance, the first step is to figure out if your regular doctors are in the insurance network. Especially for people with chronic diseases who often need multiple doctors' care, choosing an insurance plan with a wide coverage is crucial. You can also consider plans that can partially reimburse even if the doctor is out of the network. If you expect to see a new specialist, a "PPO" plan is a good choice because it doesn't require a referral, and you can choose your doctor freely. While an "HMO" plan requires a referral from your primary doctor every time you see a new doctor.

Also, pay special attention to the "out - of - pocket maximum". It means the maximum amount you have to pay out of your own pocket in a year. Once you exceed this amount, the insurance company will take over.

Get insurance information from your employer

If you buy health insurance through your company, your employer usually provides some useful materials during the open enrollment period to help you choose suitable insurance. Many people don't make good use of these resources and just stick with last year's plan. Even if you think the HR department can't help you, still take the initiative to get all relevant materials and have a careful look to make the most suitable choice.

Organize medical receipts

Understand your expenses. If you want to know how much you spend on medical care each year, it's best to collect all medical bills and receipts from the start. Not only those paid through the Health Savings Account (HSA), but also other out - of - pocket expenses should be recorded. For example, gym memberships, psychotherapy, and healthy diets are also investments in health and count as medical expenses.

If you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you can also include it. Both HSA and FSA can be used to pay for expenses not covered by insurance, such as doctor visits, examinations, medicine, dental and vision treatments. The advantage of HSA is that the balance can be carried over to the next year, while the money in FSA usually expires at the end of the year. So, if you use FSA, pay special attention to the balance and plan reasonably.

Maximize your spending and savings options

Besides HSA, you can also consider FSA, which can be used for other things besides medical expenses. If you change jobs, the money in your HSA can be taken with you, while the money in FSA generally expires at the end of the year. So, if you use FSA, be careful about using the balance.

Whether it's HSA or FSA, save money according to your medical needs, especially for the expected expenses like deductibles. It's best to save in advance to avoid last - minute panic.

Understand chronic disease insurance

If you have a long - term illness, chronic disease insurance may be a good option. This kind of insurance usually provides a one - time payment after you're diagnosed with a chronic disease to help you pay for living and medical expenses. But note that this insurance doesn't replace your basic health insurance; it's just a supplementary insurance.

Source：

[1] https://www.insurance.wa.gov/insurance-resources/health-insurance/how-health-insurance-works/when-health-insurers-can-ask-you-about-your-health

[2] https://www.hizuno.com/blog/motor/why-third-party-insurance-is-a-must-for-every-vehicle-owner

Reference:

[1] https://feather-insurance.com/blog/what-is-chronic-illness-and-how-will-it-impact-my-insurance-application

[2] https://www.healthline.com/health/navigating-insurance-when-living-with-a-chronic-health-condition