– Update:
Good to know
- There are two types of health insurance in Germany – Public Health Insurance (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung or GKV) and Private Health Insurance (Private Krankenversicherung or PKV)
- Every resident of Germany is obliged to have health insurance
Content
- Health Insurance System in Germany
- Statutory Public Health Insurance
- Private Health Insurance
- Which Health Insurance to Choose?
- Health Insurance for Self-Employed
Health Insurance System in Germany
In Germany, there is a comprehensive health insurance system intended to ensure the population’s medical care, and every resident is mandated to be health-insured. You can choose between statutory health insurance (German: Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung or GKV) or private health insurance (German: Private Krankenversicherung or PKV).
Statutory Public Health Insurance
Statutory or Public health insurance (german: GKV) is a part of the social security system and ensures medical care for the population. It is offered by health insurance companies, which can be chosen either by the employers or by the insured persons themselves. Contributions to public health insurance are borne equally by employees and employers. It’s based on income. Statutory health insurance provides comprehensive medical care and includes benefits such as visits to the doctor, hospitalization, medication, and much more.
Details on Public Health Insurance can be found on the website of the German Federal Ministry of Health (German language only).
Switching from Public Statutory Health Insurance to Private Health Insurance is easier than from Private Health Insurance to Public Statutory Health Insurance.
Private Health Insurance
Private health insurance (PKV) is an insurance that represents an alternative to public health insurance. The contributions to private health insurance depend on the age, gender, and state of health of the insured person. This insurance can increase over time. Private health insurance offers comprehensive medical care, including services not covered by statutory health insurance.
You can find details about Private Health Insurance on the website of the German Federal Ministry of Health (German language only).
Which Health Insurance to Choose?
Employees whose gross income does not exceed a specific limit are insured by a public health insurer. The specified limit changes every year. The limit for 2024 is €69,300, for 2023 is €66,600, and in 2022 it was €64,350. If an employee earns more than the stated amount in a year, they can choose to remain with the public health insurance or switch to private health insurance.
Health Insurance for Self-Employed
In Germany, the self-employed can choose between private and public health insurance. Private health insurance is more attractive when you are younger, but it also has many disadvantages.
With private health insurance, there is no free family insurance for children and partners, annual premiums increase, there is no option to have public health insurance in retirement,…
Perhaps it is therefore better to insure with a public health insurer because you can also insure family members for free, your health does not play a role in how much the monthly insurance amounts will be, and you are entitled to cheap health insurance for retirees.
However, there is one condition! The self-employed can choose public statutory health insurance only if they have already been insured by a public health insurer for at least 12 months previously. If they were covered with public health insurance for less than 12 months, then they have no choice, and only private health insurance remains. The self-employed can return to public health insurance only if they give up their self-employed job and are public insured as employees based on their income.