Anonymous risk enquiries for private health and occupational disability insurance
Worried about how your medical history may affect an insurance application? Discuss a preliminary risk enquiry in English, in Berlin or online throughout Germany. I am your point of contact as your insurance broker, from preparing the enquiry to discussing the insurers’ responses with you.
Discuss a risk enquiry →Before you apply
- We go through the relevant health questions together before deciding on the next step.
- An enquiry can help clarify an insurer’s assessment before a formal application; it does not itself provide insurance cover.
- The choice and number of insurers depend on your case.
- Your name and other identifying details are removed from the material prepared for insurers. This is not a promise that no records exist anywhere.
By Sven Chalupa
What is an anonymous risk enquiry?
An anonyme Risikovoranfrage is a preliminary underwriting enquiry. It can help establish whether an insurer would consider offering cover and on what terms, before you submit a formal application.
I recommend starting with a careful review of the health questions in every case. If there is little to clarify, we discuss whether an enquiry is necessary or whether a direct application is appropriate. The questions and the periods they cover differ between private health insurance (PKV), occupational disability insurance (BU) and individual insurers.
Check the questions and supporting records
We work through the questions together and identify any points that need clarification. It can be useful to request a record of billed services from your statutory health insurer (Patientenquittung), or the invoices submitted to your private health insurer.
If you find a diagnosis or entry that you do not recognise, clarify it with the treating practice before relying on the record. An unfamiliar entry should not simply be ignored, and it should not automatically be treated as an error.
Answer the insurer’s actual questions accurately and pay attention to the periods they cover. A preliminary enquiry does not replace the information required for a formal application. See section 19 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG).
Related reading: mental health and occupational disability insurance.
How your enquiry with Sven works
- Review your situation. We go through the relevant questions and decide together whether a preliminary enquiry is useful. Any supporting records needed are discussed as part of this preparation.
- Prepare the enquiry. I review the information and remove your name and other identifying details from the material prepared for insurers. As your insurance broker, I coordinate the enquiry for you.
- Confirm the documents before submission. Before the enquiry is sent, you sign the relevant documents confirming your understanding of the enquiry and the data protection information, and that you have answered truthfully.
- Select insurers and assess their responses. The insurers approached and their number depend on your case. We review the responses, including any extra premium, exclusions, requests for more information and conditions attached to an assessment.
- Decide whether to apply. After a suitable assessment and your decision to proceed, we prepare the formal application. We check the validity period and conditions of the assessment before submitting it.
Understand the terms before deciding
The meaning of a response depends on the insurer, the type of cover and the information assessed. Check its conditions and any deadline; a favourable assessment does not itself start insurance cover.
| Response | German term | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Standard terms | Normalannahme | An assessment indicating standard terms for the information considered. The proposed policy terms still need to be checked. |
| Risk surcharge | Risikozuschlag | A proposed additional premium. Check the amount and the cover offered together. |
| Exclusion | Leistungsausschluss | A specified risk would not be covered. Check the exact wording and its effect on the proposed policy. |
| Postponement | Zurückstellung | The insurer is not ready to offer terms at this stage. Check what information or change in circumstances it would require. |
| Decline | Ablehnung | The insurer is not willing to offer cover on the basis assessed. This does not establish every other insurer’s position. |
An enquiry, case records and HIS are different things
I remove identifying details from the material prepared for insurers, but preparing and handling an enquiry involves processing information. If a policy is arranged, relevant records are retained as part of the advice and placement process. If no policy is arranged, you can request deletion, subject to the applicable rules and any legal retention requirements. See the website Privacy Policy.
Private health insurers do not participate in the industry’s Hinweis- und Informationssystem (HIS), according to the Lower Saxony data protection authority. This is separate from an insurer’s own handling of an enquiry. The HIS operator provides information to insurers; it does not decide whether an insurance contract is accepted.
Frequently asked questions
Do I always need a preliminary risk enquiry?
How is my identity handled?
Do private health insurers use HIS?
Is an insurer’s response binding, and for how long?
Can I ask for my data to be deleted if no policy is arranged?
What does your advice cost?
Should I put medical details in the contact form?
What if I have already been declined?
Discuss your options in English
Further information
- HIS and participating insurance classes — Lower Saxony data protection authority
- HIS: data processing information — Besurance HIS
- Pre-contractual disclosure — section 19 VVG (German)
- Health questions and preliminary enquiries for BU — LV 1871
- Medical underwriting in private health insurance — PKV Association
Discuss your insurance options in English
Use this form for a general enquiry. Please do not include diagnoses, medication details or medical reports.
Let's Talk
English-speaking advice in Berlin and online throughout Germany. My advice is free of charge.
Sven Chalupa
English-speaking insurance broker advising on private health insurance, occupational disability insurance and retirement planning. In-person appointments in Berlin and online advice throughout Germany.
Individual circumstances matter
This page describes the advice process and provides general information. The suitability of an enquiry and the meaning of an insurer’s response need to be assessed for your individual case.