German Students' Health insurance policy, when studying for a year abroad?

Question

I have been studying in Germany since 2009. In Germany, in order to continue being enrolled at a university as international student, you have to have a health insurance which costs you around 80 Euros per month (in my case AOK). After finishing my Bachelor degree I went for one year in Asia for an exchange program (my first Masters year). Unfortunately I had to pay the insurance in South Korea (the German one doesn't offer long term travel insurance) and continue to pay the insurance in Germany in order to keep my enrolled status. Those were 12x80 Euros wasted, which is not a small amount of money.

Now again I'm back to Asia for an internship which will last one year and I really don't want to keep paying an insurance I don't use in Germany. Is somebody familiar with this experience? Is there any way to avoid paying while I am not in Germany and without being kicked out from university?

Answer 1

I have not been able to find an authoritative source for that but it seems there is no way around the student insurance if you remain registered at a German university. The only exception mentioned in the extensive Wikipedia article on the topic (in German) is for people who are still covered through their parents' health insurance and is only possible if you apply within three months of first registering at the university.

An alternative could be to get a supplementary insurance from your German insurer and use that to avoid paying insurance in your destination country.

Incidentally, in the EU, you would be covered through your German student's health insurance even when staying abroad, which might partly explain why the mandatory insurance is not routinely waived. I also believe that German students who qualify for government help get an extra subsidy to cover both insurances when they go abroad.