The Coverage Crunch

Today is my last day before I make the long and somewhat circuitous trip to Aachen. I am torn between excitement and anxiety. The latter stems from a number of sources. Will my German be good enough? Will I be robbed along the way? Do I have the discipline for the self-paced European learning system?

However, the biggest source of worry is that the little matter of insurance has not yet been laid to rest. A while back, I was informed by RWTH that international students needed to get a waiver from an accredited German public insurance agency such as Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) or Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse (AOK). No problem, I thought. I'll just show them my insurance card, sign whatever they need me to sign and be done with it. It turns out, it is not that simple.

First, I tried chatting with TK using their chat client program to find out just what I had to do to get the waiver. Well, every time I asked, the reply was, "Darf ich Ihnen anrufen?" "May I call you?" I did not want to do this, both because I hate phone calls with strangers in general and because in chat I have text that I can save for latter reference and far more easily translate should any of the terms be unfamiliar. When I finally caved and called, the answer to my question was "You'll have to provide proof of insurance and sign some forms." Thanks...

So, I tried a different approach. I sent an email asking for these alleged forms. The response was that they could not send secure documents over the internet, but if I'd like to call or visit in person...so I replied back saying that, as I pointed out in my first email, I am NOT IN GERMANY and would like to know if Chat is "secure" enough to get the answers I wanted. I'm not sure how snarky it came across in German, but it got the job done. The woman replied with the forms that I needed to sign.

Then, I made a mistake. I did not read one of the forms closely enough. What I thought was a document that I had to sign actually needed a signature from my Insurance company here. What's more, the form was in German. I replied back asking for an English translation and got the translation to the wrong document. I pointed this out, then did my best to translate, called my insurer to get a fax number, and sent the German version and my translation while hoping that an English version was en route. I am still hoping.

That is not to say that the German side is the only one causing headaches. My dad asked Blue Cross Blue Shield to send an official letter stating the sort of coverage I would have in Germany. They mailed it despite his insistence that it was urgent. When it finally arrived, it merely said that I was insured. It contained no information as to what that covered, either here or in Germany.

The worst part is that it is entirely possible, since I have yet to hear from anyone what the coverage requirements are, that when the paperwork finally gets through to everyone involved I will still not be approved. In that case, I'll have to purchase insurance there.

Oh, and did I mention that I need this waiver by October 1st or I cannot enroll on time? Yeah.

The big lesson here is do not expect insurance companies to be efficient, convenient, or quick to respond. In short, start poking companies with sticks months in advance of your trip.