Don’t Start with the Premium
When two private quotes land side by side, the eye goes straight to the monthly figure — which is exactly the wrong place to start. A private tariff is a decades-long contract, and the headline premium is the least reliable guide to whether it is a good one. Reading an Angebot well means working through it in a deliberate order, so the price is the last thing you judge, not the first.
Reframe the question: not “which is cheaper this month?” but “which gives the benefits I need, on terms that will hold up, at a premium I can sustain?” The quote contains the answer if you read it in the right sequence.
The Order to Read It In
- Scope of benefits: outpatient, inpatient and dental — what is covered, at what percentage, with what caps. This is the substance; everything else modifies it
- Outpatient GOÄ rate cover: up to which multiplier does the tariff pay specialist bills? A low ceiling means real out-of-pocket gaps
- Dental scales and waiting: how much dental in the early years, and any Zahnstaffel ramp-up
- Deductible (Selbstbehalt): a low premium often just hides a high excess — read them together
- Long-run design: ageing reserves, any Beitragsentlastung component, and how the tariff has behaved historically
- Then the premium: now the monthly figure means something, because you know what it buys
Comparing Two Offers Fairly
Put the two Angebote in a simple table and fill the same rows for each: benefit percentages, GOÄ ceiling, dental terms, deductible, and premium. Comparison only works at the same benefit level — a cheaper quote with a lower GOÄ ceiling and a bigger excess is not cheaper, it is different. Where a row is unclear, ask the adviser to point to the exact tariff clause; a good quote is backed by tariff conditions you can read.
Red Flags on a Quote
- A headline premium with a large hidden deductible presented as the main selling point
- Vague benefit language (“comprehensive cover”) with no percentages or GOÄ ceiling stated
- No mention of long-run premium behaviour or reserves
- Pressure to decide on the price alone before you have read the benefits
The Bottom Line
A PKV Angebot rewards patient reading in the right order: benefits first, then the modifiers that shape them, then the deductible, then the long-run design, and only finally the premium. Compare two offers on identical rows at the same benefit level, insist on tariff clauses behind the claims, and the “cheaper” quote often turns out to be the thinner one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compare PKV Tariffs for Your Situation
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