I can't get into public health insurance

Getting locked into private cover by accident is one of the costliest mistakes here — slow down before you sign.

1. Understand why you were refused. Student public cover generally ends around age 30 or the 14th semester; some work histories and income levels also route you out of the statutory (GKV) system.
2. Employees: most employees are required to be in public GKV unless they earn above the yearly threshold — so if a job says "private only", double-check, because that is often simply wrong.
3. Private (PKV) is easy to enter and very hard to leave. Once in, returning to public can be near-impossible for older or self-employed people. Treat it as a long-term decision, not a formality.
4. Students: ask Krankenkassen about voluntary/expat student tariffs and compare them against private student policies before committing — and confirm your university and visa office accept the policy.
5. Get independent advice — for example from the Verbraucherzentrale or an insurance-neutral advisor, not only from a broker paid to sell you PKV.

This is general information, not insurance advice — confirm your own case with the Krankenkasse and your university before you decide.