Credit for time served: switching horse insurance

Switch horse surgery insurance without a gap and Barmenia drops the waiting period. Clause 2.2.4.2 credits your previous contract, provided the cover was comparable. Here are the 4 situations in which that credit does not extend to newly added cover.

The direct answer: when the waiting period falls away on a switch

Owners switching their dog or horse insurance often wonder whether the agreed waiting period has to run before the new cover responds. Clause 2.2.4.2 of the conditions for equine surgery cover (AVB Pferde-OP-Kosten, as at 01.01.2024, Barmenia Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG) answers that plainly: where seamless previous cover of comparable scope was in force before the switch, the general waiting period for the risks already covered falls away entirely.

Without such previous cover, most policies on the German market apply a standard general waiting period of three months for illness. Under the Barmenia horse surgery policy that deadline disappears immediately for accidents, while surgery after illness normally carries three months and colic surgery five days. Time served under the previous contract counts towards the special waiting periods too — for example the 12 months for joint surgery involving isolated radiographic shadows or OCD.

• A seamless handover: the new contract must follow the previous cover with no gap in time.
• The same scope: the previous contract must already have included the specific benefit.
• Evidenced duration: time under the previous contract counts in full towards the special waiting periods.

The decisive caveat sits at the end of clause 2.2.4.2: the waiting period expressly does not fall away for cover the previous policy did not provide, or provided only to a lesser degree. So anyone looking into credit for a previous waiting period has to look closely at the four specific situations in which a waiting period still applies to the difference in cover.

Cases 1 and 2: a lower GOT rate and benefit limits

Since the new scale of fees for veterinary surgeons (GOT) took effect on 22 November 2022, many owners have faced markedly higher vet's bills. Older contracts often cover surgery only up to one or two times the scale, or cap reimbursement at fixed maximums — 2,500 euros per operation on Barmenia's Basic horse surgery cover, for instance.

Move now to a more modern policy with an increased GOT rate of up to four times the scale and an unlimited annual maximum, and the waiting period falls away only for the part of the reimbursement that matches the old cover. For the difference, the standard general waiting period of three months applies to illness-related surgery.

So if illness-related surgery becomes necessary within the first three months of the switch, the new insurer reimburses at the limits of the old contract. Only once the three months have run is the full, extended scope available with no annual ceiling.

Case 3: exclusions in the old contract

A third case concerns risks and types of surgery that the old contract did not insure at all, through a clause or an exclusion. Older or very basic surgery policies exclude regenerative therapies (stem cell treatment or PRP, say), joint procedures for OCD (chips) or elective tooth extractions.

Where the new conditions take those in, no credit applies to those specific benefits. Since the previous contract offered no comparable cover, newly added elements have to serve the agreed deadlines in the normal way.

• General illness: newly included treatment carries the general waiting period of three months.
• Abdominal surgery (colic): colic surgery carries a shortened general waiting period of five days.
• Special procedures: joint surgery for OCD or Birkeland fractures carries a special waiting period of twelve months.

One point owners must be clear about: symptoms or diagnoses arising before cover starts or during the waiting period are permanently outside cover. A seamless switch therefore protects the cover you already had, but creates no retrospective protection for a condition already known about.

Case 4: a higher excess and reimbursement rate

The fourth situation concerns what the policyholder pays themselves. Many equine policies carry a percentage excess of 10 % or 20 % per invoice, so the insurer reimburses only the remainder of the vet's bill.

If, on switching, you opt for an excess of 0 euros and full reimbursement, the part you previously carried yourself is an improvement in cover. Here too, the credit is limited to the scope previously agreed.

1. The old level of reimbursement applies at once: if an insured event caused by illness occurs in the first 3 months after the switch, the insurer initially pays only what the old contract provided.
2. The remaining share is subject to the waiting period: the difference up to full reimbursement is only covered once the general waiting period of 3 months has run.
3. The accident exception: after an accident, full reimbursement applies from day 1 with no deductions and no waiting period.

That graduation protects everyone in the pool against policies bought purely ahead of a planned procedure, while guaranteeing that switching never leaves you worse off at claim stage than your previous policy would have.

Deciding: when is the upgrade worth it?

Even though improved elements of cover serve a partial waiting period for the first few months, bringing an outdated policy up to date makes economic sense for most owners. Complex colic and joint surgery at equine clinics has become considerably more expensive since the GOT was revised: an owners' association reported 12,000 to 15,000 euros for colic surgery against 5,000 to 8,000 euros previously, and chip surgery rising from 1,200 euros to 3,000 to 4,000 euros. Outdated sums insured often no longer stretch far enough when it matters.

A seamless switch keeps the solid foundation of your cover intact throughout. Should a claim arise during the three-month transition, the new insurer pays at least what the old contract provided. Once the deadline passes, you have the extended cover for good.

• Protection against runaway costs: cover up to four times the GOT rate protects you in emergencies and at weekends.
• No step backwards at claim stage: the cover you already had is preserved in full from day one of the new contract.
• Long-term security: unlimited annual maximums also cover demanding aftercare and several operations.

Owners should not put a switch off simply because a transition period applies to the extra cover. The sooner you move, the sooner the standard waiting period for the new benefits is behind you.

Practical steps for a seamless handover

For Barmenia to credit time under the previous contract as clause 2.2.4.2 provides, policyholders need to handle the switch precisely. An uninterrupted sequence requires complete documentation of the old contract.

1. Review the old contract: establish which risks, GOT rates and annual ceilings the previous policy agreed.
2. Mind the notice periods: cancel the existing horse surgery policy in good time, at the end of the policy year or after a premium increase.
3. Time the new application: set the new contract's commencement date to the day immediately after the old policy expires.
4. Submit proof of previous cover: send Barmenia the policy schedule and the previous insurer's confirmation of cancellation.

At nextsure we help you review your policy conditions and guide you digitally and transparently through the whole switch. Tailored and without fuss, we find the right cover for your horse together, so you are dependably protected when a claim arises.