OSTEOARTHRITIS TREATMENT: WHAT YOU SHOULD CONSIDER!

Helga and Kurt B. have been struggling with osteoarthritis for years. That is why the seniors want to apply for a cure. But which steps have to be followed?

There are various ways of doing this: After an operation, the "follow-up treatment" that the hospital initiates often follows. Health insurance bears the costs here. The patient is often assigned a spa house, because there should be a maximum of 14 days between discharge from the clinic and start of the spa.

The situation is different for outpatient or inpatient health care cures (Social Security Code V, §§ 20 - 24). This is recommended by the family doctor or the patient expresses the wish for such rehab. If an illness could jeopardize the employability, the pension insurance (for civil servants: allowance) bears the costs.

Preventive rehab: do you have to contact the doctor or the health insurance company?

First you have your health insurance provider send you application forms, which the family doctor then fills out. There are often questionnaires for the patient. Submit everything at checkout. It has an assessment carried out by the medical service.

Attention: As a rule, insured persons are entitled to a cure every four years. If there is a medical need, the application may be made earlier. Start an approved cure within six months, otherwise it will expire.

What to do in the event of a rejection?

If the application is rejected, an objection is lodged within one month. This is even possible orally ("for transcript") at the cashier's office. Better: ask your doctor for a more detailed recommendation.

Tip: The free hotline of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund
(Z 08 00/1 00 04 80 70) will inform you of possible claims .
If the request is rejected again, an application is made a few months later. In addition, the (often time-consuming) legal process remains. A lawsuit before the social court is free of charge for insured persons. Legal representation is not a must.

Do patients have to share the costs of the cure?

Yes. For inpatient preventive and rehabilitation measures, an additional payment of 10 euros per day is due (also for mother or father-child cures).

If you opt for outpatient rehab ("open spa treatment"), you will incur 10 euros for the advice of the spa doctor and another 10 euros as a prescription sheet fee. The patient pays ten percent for remedies. The rest is covered by the cash register, which also subsidizes accommodation and meals: 13 euros per day for adults and 21 euros for children accompanied by a child.

Caution: get the cure approved in advance. Otherwise you may be left at the expense.

Can I go abroad for a cure?

Yes! Many health insurance funds have cooperation agreements with spa hotels in Eastern European spas. Prices are up to 70 percent cheaper there.

Important: Prerequisite for the assumption of costs: The stay must be "medically reasonable" and approved. Inquire beforehand whether the employees on site speak German.