Where/What - Health insurance contributions with an S1 form?

[rene jan]

Hello, my name is Rene and I am new here on this forum. I am a retired Dutch national albeit a French resident with a UK State pension. I have never been a (tax) resident in Germany, never worked/lived there before. However I am exploring the possibility of moving to Germany and using the S1 form mechanism to enroll into the German Public healthcare system. My S1 will be issued by the UK and not by France based on the total NI contributions made in each of these countries. So I have been looking into what monthly premiums I may have to pay for the corresponding health cover and to who.

This is what I understand so far but I am not sure whether it is correct. I would appreciate it if readers can confirm or add/modify things if needed?

1) Once I receive my S1 certificate from the UK I will go to a German KrankenKasse (KK) and give them this S1 certificate. In return they will give me a medical card which I can use to receive "free" medical care within the German Public Health System (except for say co-payments).
2) Once I have consulted a Dr in Germany, this Dr will send his/her bill to the KK directly. Subsequently the KK will pay this bill from a lump sum which they received from the UK national health care insurance system under the S1 scheme.
3) Since the KK is just the German administrator of my UK national health insurance plan, I don't pay any health plan contributions to the KK (since they will be paid from this UK lump sum). That way it seems that I will be exempt from health insurance contributions in Germany?
4) The UK overseas health care service (among other sources) confirms that no health care insurance premiums will be deducted from my UK state pension either since I have been contributing into a health insurance fund during my working career in the UK.

So I have been researching where and to whom I would need to pay health care insurance contributions once I am in the public German health care system. Perhaps my picture as a new-bee is too simple... it seems that everything is already in place once the S1 has been handed over to the KK. Hence I wonder whether I may have missed something? What is the catch if there is any?

Any thoughts/comments/corrections/suggestions would be highly appreciated! Thank you for your help and time! -Rene

[Franklan]

Any thoughts/comments/corrections/suggestions would be highly appreciated! Thank you for your help and time! -Rene

My KK (German abbreviation for 'Health insurance') is and has been DAK for a long time.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from them, and in the footer of the email was this:

For personal contact [..]
phone: 040 325 325 536
e-mail us to english@dak.de or use our contact form
www.dak.de

So, they're actively pointing out that one can contact them in English! I think that's great.

The only other German KK - to my knowledge - that claims that communication in English is possible is "Techniker Krankenkasse". So for a start, contacting DAK or TK in English would be a good starting point.

And welcome to this forum!