Health insurance in Germany

Most employees are insured with a statutory fund such as TK, AOK, Barmer, DAK or IKK.

• The statutory funds charge roughly the same and offer the same basic services.
• The contribution is a percentage of your gross income, about fourteen and a half percent plus an additional contribution that differs from fund to fund, and the employee and the employer split it equally.
• Private insurance is open to high earners, the self-employed, civil servants and students, and its price depends on your age and health.
• It is hard to return from private to statutory insurance, so it is not recommended for newcomers unless it is required.

In statutory insurance your spouse and children without an income of their own are often insured with you for free, which is called family insurance (Familienversicherung).

• Students pay a reduced contribution and must show proof of insurance when they enrol at university.
• People who receive unemployment benefit are insured through the office that pays the benefit.
• If you are self-employed you choose for yourself and pay the full contribution.
• If you are unsure about your situation, call a fund, because their staff explain the options free of charge.

After you join a fund, the electronic health insurance card arrives by post and you show it at every medical visit.

• You usually start with a family doctor (Hausarzt), who treats everyday complaints and gives you a referral (Überweisung) to a specialist.
• You can see gynaecologists, eye doctors and dentists directly without a referral.
• Statutory patients pay no fee for the visit itself.
• Since 2025 an electronic patient record is created for you automatically unless you object, and you control who can see its contents.

There are small co-payments called Zuzahlung.

• A prescription medicine usually costs ten percent of its price, with a minimum of five and a maximum of ten euros, and a hospital stay costs ten euros a day for up to twenty-eight days a year.
• Children under eighteen are exempt.
• If your co-payments in a year reach a set share of your income, you can ask the fund for an exemption.
• Keep all receipts and ask your fund about dental care, because braces and crowns are only partly covered.

In a life-threatening situation call 112 for an ambulance, which is free across Europe.

• For symptoms that cannot wait but are not dangerous, at night or at the weekend, call the on-call medical service on 116117.
• Hospital emergency departments take serious cases, but the wait can be long if your problem is minor.
• Save both numbers in your phone and learn how to say your address, your age and your symptoms in German before you need to.

Is health insurance compulsory in Germany?