Part 1:

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When I was a student at Darmstadt, I was insured with AOK Hessen for almost 4 years. When my student status was over, AOK sent me a mail saying they are "canceling" my insurance because I am no more a student and my current insurance was only valid as long as I was a student. I could continue, they said, either by paying an increased (doubled) insurance or cancel the insurance altogether, and inform them when I get a job if I wish to be insured with them again. I naturally chose the second option, and they "cancelled" my insurance ("Abmeldung").

I then took a private insurance for exactly 1 year paying approxly EUR 37 per month (compared to the EUR 55 per month I was paying for AOK as a student). During this time I was neither a student nor was employed (though I was on job-search visa).

Part 2:

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I got a job near Boeblingen (in Baden-Wuerttemberg) and had to get a public insurance. My company recommended IKK-Direkt, which charges less (12% of your gross income / Brutto) compared to AOK (14.5%) or TK (13.5%). But when I applied, I was told that I was still insured with AOK. Hey wait!!! Did AOK not tell me they have "cancelled" my insurance and did I not have a 2nd insurance (private) after that "cancellation"?

Hmm, I contacted AOK Darmstadt, who said that I was not actually "cancelled" ("Kuendigung"), but only "de-registered" ("Abmeldung"). Hell I knew the difference. It seems that these two things are different, and to cancel insurance in Germany you must actually cancel it!!!! (Kuendigung). And I thought that when u stops paying for insurance and they inform you that you are no more insured by them, your insurance had been cancelled!!!

What happened was this. AOK "de-registered" me as I was no more a student, but did not "cancel" my insurance, and was lying in wait till I got a job whence I must have a public insurance. Till that period, they made sure they did not lose me as a customer, but without covering me with their insurance!!!

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OK fine. I contacted my local AOK office at Boeblingen and they said I must first "re-register" with them before I can "cancel" my insurance with AOK. Cool...I will get re-registered and cancel it soon so I may get the cheaper insurance with IKK-Direkt...it can't be simpler!!!

Part 3:

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I shifted my job to Nuernberg (Bayern). Now that I had insurance with AOK for 3 months, I wanted to "cancel" it for good. When I called them, I was told that I had a "Bindung" - obligation to have the insurance for 18 months and can not cancel it within this period. So what? I have been having an AOK insurance for 6 years now (first as a student for 4 years, then the "de-registered" phase when I was technically a member of AOK and then the last 3 months as an employee). The answer I got was astounding. They said I am now insured with AOK Baden-Wuerttemberg and so only these 3 months when I was insured by them counted. All the 4 years when I was with AOK in Darmstadt was with AOK Hessen which is different from AOK BW, meaning that 4-year period did not count for my current insurance.

And at the time I registered with AOK BW, all I wanted was just getting back to AOK so I can cancel it shortly as the rules demand so I may shift to a new insurance!!! Meaning, I wanted to get with AOK Hessen.

But I was told this was not possible as I do not live in Hessen any more but in BW and so I must get with AOK BW. So I accepted it. And a new obligatory 18-month period started.

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But what is shocking is that now AOK BW says that even though I live in Bayern, I can still continue to have insurance with AOK BW. Which is exactly the opposite of what they told me 3 months back when I had to "re-register" with AOK!!!

3 months back I could not continue with AOK Hessen as I did not live in Hessen any more. 3 months later - now - even though I do not live in BW, I can of course continue with AOK BW!!!

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I told them it was unfair that they do this, and when they quoted rules, I told them they must have informed me 3 months earlier, especially as I had informed them I was getting insured with AOK only because of rules, and I had no other option. Now they say, "Oh sorry if we had known it, we could have let you continue with AOK Hessen..."

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The issue again is NOT that I am crying foul or there are rules. Rather, we must be aware of them. And if this happens some one like me who speakes fluent German and has been here for 6 years, imagine the situation of those others who neither speak German nor have lived here long enough!!!

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Just please be aware. It saves you lots of trouble!!!!