Overnighters should be covered by health insurance

Overnighter sollten von der Kasse übernommen werden / Overnighters should be covered by health insurance

When I was on an Overnighter this week, I had a thought: Overnighters are actually a good way to recharge your batteries, to gather energy, to do something different, to exercise and maybe to become more satisfied.

In short: an Overnighter is virtually a cure!

Wait a minute! That sounds quite esoteric now and after this (partly unbearable) trend to the I-reference, which we may also read more and more with the topic cycling. So now you too, Martin?

No, no worry. I just find the thought interesting, because after a quite exhausting day in my home office the ride out of Hamburg, into the forest and the fields of Lower Saxony did me a lot of good.

So let’s take the thought a little further:

The other day I was on the phone with my health insurance company. They made me an offer of vouchers with which I can save money or get it back if I invest in my health care. For example, by exercising regularly, ideally at a club or gym. Or eating a healthy diet with a proven track record and going for regular checkups. I meant: I ride a bike, a lot of bike. Does that count? Yes, that wouldn’t be bad. You’re out in nature a lot, too. That’s very beneficial.

Yes, I say, for example, I’m regularly on an overnighter, which also promotes physical and mental resilience. That all sounds very good and right, but unfortunately I have to be able to prove it. No problem, I think, but unfortunately Strava and my blog are not accepted as evidence. And neither are other reports about my regular rides, races and tours.

And I think that’s a pity, because such an Overnighter works, even if there is not really something to heal!

Even in small amounts and administered irregularly, it can lift your mood, reduce stress, clear your head, have an energizing effect, boost your circulation, turn a few hours into an eternity and provide joy and new perspectives. If that doesn’t actively reduce costs and is preventative.

Therefore I demand: Overnighters should be covered by health insurance!

“Cures and aids are treatments and products that are intended, for example, to alleviate discomfort or make everyday life easier. Both can be prescribed by a doctor and paid for by statutory health insurance.” (Source

And yes, we agree that an Overnighter is both a cure and an aid. It is mentally as well as physically positive, well tolerated and is harmless even when overindulged.

And, of course, it is very easy to give.

Here is my “instruction leaflet”:

1. simply find – even spontaneously if you like – a day in the week.
2. define a destination or target area.
3. plan the route, ideally so that you don’t arrive too late in the evening and aren’t too late back to your daily routine in the morning.
4. get the bike out, pack a few things for the night.
5. look for fellow cyclists or (best) ride alone.
6. take something tasty to eat – or just buy something somewhere.
7. get lost in nature on the kilometers and discover it in a new way.
8. experience and enjoy the night. In the tent, in the bivouac, under the open sky – everything goes, nothing is wrong.
9. the next morning, be sure to take the early morning hours with you, if you are still all alone on the road.
10. take a short break with a coffee before going back to the city, the office, the company, to the family.
11.Plan the next overnighter.

 

And what do you think?

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