Everything employees need to know at a glance

Before these can be launched, a number of extensive processes must be completed in advance. These include, for example, companies implementing the necessary interfaces, registering their staff for CareFlex and clarifying legal issues, such as those relating to data protection. Consequently, the parties at the workplace may need to amend or conclude new framework and works agreements as necessary.

Once employers have registered their staff for CareFlex Chemie and the framework conditions for advising staff have been clarified with the companies, employees will be informed. Anyone with a registered company email address can, if they wish, then receive a welcome email from the employee portal containing their CareFlex employee ID. Employees can use this to register on the portal, create their own profile and book a personal counselling appointment.  Employees who do not have a work email address on file will receive their login details for the portal via their employer.

You will find all the relevant information in this guide.

In total, around 1,000 certified CareFlex Chemie care advisers from IGBCE Bonusassekuranz and the two partner organisations are available to provide standardised advice. As part of the advisory service, the individual needs of employees and their family members are assessed, taking regional circumstances into account. On this basis, the advisers draw up appropriate proposals.

If employees have already taken out private care insurance, we recommend that they bring this to the consultation so that it can be reviewed.

If family members are to be included in the cover, they must be present at the consultation appointment. This is necessary because policies are taken out digitally without the policyholder’s signature, and the health questionnaire must be answered truthfully and bindingly in the presence of the adviser. This also serves to protect the advisers, as they are generally personally liable for the advice they provide.

To prepare for the consultation, you can find additional information – such as details on statutory care benefits or the health questionnaire – in the staff portal under the heading ‘Information on CareFlex Chemie’.

Essentially, this involves analysing the employee’s personal circumstances and the resulting financial shortfall in long-term care provision for them and any family members who wish to be included on the policy. Following the consultation, which lasts around an hour, everyone can make provisions for long-term care in line with their individual needs.

Yes, for several reasons. Firstly, the personal contributions required in the event of long-term care vary from region to region. Full-time residential care in a selected facility in Mannheim at care level 1 costs 2,833.35 euros per month; in Schifferstadt, for example, a personal contribution of 2,498.12 euros would be required (source: AOK). It is also important to clarify whether outpatient cover is sufficient or whether inpatient cover makes more sense – for example, for single people or working people living far away from their families.

Once I’ve registered on the staff portal, I can log in. On the dashboard, there’s a ‘Appointments’ tile. You can book consultation appointments very easily there. So: 1. register, 2. log in, 3. book an appointment.

1. Important: The browsers used should be up to date. The following browsers are currently supported by the portal: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari
2. Tablets, such as the Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Huawei MatePad, etc., or any type of smartphone cannot currently be used for video consultations via the portal. Smartphones and tablets can, however, be used for all other functions, such as registration, and reading and saving documents.
3. Each system has separate settings for video and audio playback. It is usually helpful to check the relevant <<Control Panel>> on your system
4. Sometimes the internet connection is lost or the connection is poor. There can be various reasons for this. We have summarised the most common causes on page 2. We recommend using an Ethernet cable. This ensures a stable and good connection.
5. Please check whether a firewall in your home or on company devices might be causing any disruptions.
6. Software updates improve the performance of the software itself, but they also often close security loopholes and minimise risks. You should therefore ensure that all necessary programmes are up to date.

You can find further information here: Technical Notes / Requirements for Video Consultations

Yes! All members who seek advice (including family members, provided they are members) will receive a care cover policy from the IGBCE Bonus Agency, provided by the Johanniter organisation, which operates throughout Germany, worth 300 euros. This amount can be used, on the one hand, to choose any Johanniter services – such as domestic help or transport services – and, on the other hand, for on-site advice.

In addition, IGBCE members are entitled to free, professional care advice.

Here.

The very first collective-agreement-based supplementary care insurance scheme is a testament to the innovative collective bargaining policy in the chemical sector. This means that it applies to employees covered by collective agreements in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Employers in this sector may also take out additional insurance for staff not covered by collective agreements and/or senior executives. Apprentices are eligible for cover upon taking up a permanent role and then without a waiting period. The cover also applies to people on parental leave, on a sabbatical and those on long-term sick leave. It is important that the person has been in employment for at least six months. Spouses and civil partners, children (regardless of age), as well as parents, parents-in-law and grandchildren can be insured privately as well. General exceptions: Those in need of long-term care and those who have applied for long-term care are not eligible for cover.

Employers register their employees and pay the contributions for up to 12 months, depending on the duration of the parental leave.

For the remainder of their parental leave, employees can either continue their cover privately at an individual contribution rate or place their cover on hold. Upon their return, employers re-enrol employees on parental leave under the group policy. There is then no waiting period.

The departing employee may take over the policy on a private basis. Following deregistration, they will automatically receive a letter from Barmenia containing an offer to continue the policy. They may accept this offer within three months of its delivery. The application must be submitted in writing to the consortium leader for Products and Administration (Barmenia Krankenversicherung AG). Once this period has expired, the option to continue the cover privately ceases. Should the employee, after taking out individual insurance, once again become eligible for cover under the group policy, their employer will re-enrol them in the group insurance policy at the age they have reached at that time. In the event of such re-enrolment, the employee has the choice of either continuing the individual insurance policy alongside the group insurance policy or transferring the individual insurance policy, together with the rights accrued up to that point (e.g. old-age provisions), into the group insurance policy.

This applies only to supplementary modules taken out privately. In this case, a 5 per cent annual premium increase is provided for every three years. It is possible to lodge an objection. The increase ceases after the second consecutive objection.

The contracts can be terminated at any time.

CareFlex Chemie provides significant protection against financial risks in the event of a need for long-term care. This is in line with the concept of risk insurance, comparable to motor vehicle liability insurance. The latter also provides cover against potential financial risks in the event of an accident – but does not reimburse accident-free drivers either.

It is important to note that, should long-term care become necessary, annual personal contributions of 28,932 euros (national average) must be made, for which all private savings must be used. CareFlex greatly alleviates this heavy financial burden.

The basic cover agreed under the collective agreement for employees, with a contribution of 33.65 euros per employee covered by the collective agreement, is funded entirely by the employer. An advisory board reviews annually whether the agreed contributions and benefits need to be adjusted. In this respect, CareFlex is now part of collective bargaining policy.

There are just under 600 long-term care policies on the market, all of which differ – in some cases significantly – in terms of the benefits they offer. Important to note: CareFlex is the first and, to date, the only product that allows you to choose outpatient and inpatient benefits individually, depending on your care level AND the level of cover. Furthermore, the basic version does not require a medical assessment (for spouses/partners and children: only a shortened medical assessment during the promotional period), meaning that even people with severe disabilities can be insured. Furthermore, the supplementary modules can be cancelled at any time, with no waiting periods, and a premium waiver is agreed in the event of a need for care (care levels 2 to 5). It is therefore important to compare not only the price but also the benefits in detail.

As with other insurance policies, it is not possible to transfer cover in this way. However, during a consultation, policyholders can compare their existing policies with the new offer in terms of cover and premiums, and make adjustments if necessary.

You are entitled to this benefit during periods of parental leave and care leave, as well as during unpaid leave (such as a sabbatical) for up to twelve months. The entitlement also applies during leave taken from the long-term leave account and in the event of prolonged illness (where you are receiving sick pay for up to 72 weeks).

Yes, you are entitled to it, and your employer will register you for it.

Entitlement arises once the six-month waiting period has elapsed, i.e. on 1 September 2021.