Period.
Since this is clear that it is mandatory to have a health insurance, let's talk about
Health insurance concept in Germany
ANYONE and EVERYONE residing in Germany must have health insurance. It goes like this: You make monthly contributions towards health insurance, and in turn the health insurance will pay for your healthcare, which includes Doctor’s fees, check-ups, medicines, treatments, hospitalization, etc.
Types of Health Insurances
Public health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung or in short GKV)
Private health insurance (private Krankenversicherung or PKV)
As of 2021, 90% of the residing population are covered by statutory health insurance, while 10% are covered by private insurance.
Public Health Insurance
The premiums are dependent on how much income you earn as compared to your health. Here the premiums and coverages remain almost the same.
Dependents are covered
There is no salary limit for enrolling.
For doctors, there is an upper limit to the amount they can earn from public insurance every quarter
Only basic services are considered. For example, for a tooth implant, cement is considered basic. If you want ceramic, you might need to pay on top.
Payment to medical services is automated and happens in the background.
Post retirement, you continue to pay a premium proportional to your income at that point.
Private Health Insurance
The premiums are dependent on your age and health condition as compared to your income. Here the premiums and the associated coverages vary considerably.
Each dependent needs to be insured separately.
This is available for only those whose per capita income exceeds national average. For example, 62,500 in 2020.
No such upper limit. Because of this, doctors who have already earned up to the upper limit might consider being open only to the privately insured for the rest of the year. This creates certain privileges and better facilities for privately insured. Clinics offering special luxury medical services such as massage therapies might declare themselves only available for the privately insured.
More flexibility in coverage.
Even in basic coverage, services covered are more than basic.
In added coverage, there is more flexibility. For example, if you have a history of tooth decay and regular dentist visits, it might make sense to opt for additional dental coverage.
One must pay for medical services and later claim for reimbursement by uploading invoices. This can be done instantly by clicking pics via mobile apps.
At the start of the private insurance, you can choose an upper limit to the premium you pay post retirement.
Applies only as long as you are employed. The moment you lose a job, you are automatically moved to public health insurance.
General recommendation
If you are a young couple with stable jobs, with similar incomes, and are earning above the threshold for private insurance, then it might be beneficial to opt for private insurance. For everything else, the public makes sense. The later in your life you opt for private insurance, the more expensive the premiums for private shall be. Also, the older you get, the more loaded your health record is, which in turn increases the premium for private insurance. 40 is considered an upper limit for private insurance. Beyond 50, private insurances hesitate or refuse to take you in, even if you are willing to pay the high premiums. Also, you can choose to return from private to public insurance only once.
List of Health Insurances
As of 2021, there are 103 statutory health insurance companies. And you can choose any one among them and they should accept your application irrespective of your prior condition or illness. The premiums between all these insurances are almost the same, since they are regulated by the Government.
Some of the top ones people generally go for:
If you are planning to take private health insurance, there are many to choose from this list.
If you are unsure about which one suits you better, whether a public or private, do consider contacting some of the third party insurance brokers such as KL for expats, Bprotected, Feather, CR & Cie, etc. They will guide you in choosing the best possible health insurance that suits your situation and needs.
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