Private health
Are you considering switching to a private health insurance in Germany? Do you want to know the advantages of having this type of insurance? Do you have doubts or are not familiar with how it works in the German healthcare system?
When can you purchase private insurance in Germany?
Employees with a gross monthly salary of more than EUR 5 550 (EUR 66 600 annually) generally have the option to choose a private health insurance. As of this salary, there is no compulsory health insurance (Krankenkasse) and the employee can take out private insurance.
If you have just come to Germany, are starting to work and your salary is above this number, you can get private insurance right from the start.
Have you been insured in the statutory health system (gesetzliche Krankenkasse) and due to a salary increase or a new position you are going to earn a monthly salary of more than EUR 5 550, you could switch to private insurance.
Would you like to know approximately how much a private insurance costs compared to a public insurance?
Check it on our comparison tool
Private insurance in Germany
DIFFERENT RATES
This insurance offers the option to choose from a wide range of rates, depending on each individual’s situation. A private health insurance can be designed to be either more affordable or to offer many more services than compulsory health insurance.
Therefore, private insurance provides a high degree of flexibility and can be tailored to your particular life situation.
I got a salary raise. I now earn over EUR 5 550 gross per month. Can I now switch to private insurance?
Basically yes. It is important that this year with the increase in salary (i.e. your previous salary and the new salary) you will pass EUR 66 600 in gross salary. If this is not the case, then you will have to wait until next year. A change to private health insurance is then possible on January 1st of the next year. Please note that you have a notice period of 2 months in the statutory health insurance. This means that you must have sent the cancellation to the statutory health insurance 2 months before the desired changeover date.
Yes, it can be cheaper than statutory health insurance. The contribution in private insurance essentially depends on three factors:
- Your age at the time of contracting a private health insurance
- Of the insurance company and the tariff you choose (e.g. high or reduced insurance coverage and high or low contribution at retirement)
- Your state of health at the moment of switching to private insurance
You can fill out the form on this page. We will calculate offers tailored to your needs and get in touch with you.
Private insurance is better on the following general points:
- Significantly higher coverage in the dental treatment (genearl dental treatment, dentures, teeth cleaning)
- You can choose from a larger number of doctors and hospitals (this can be an advantage when you need a psychotherapy, or suffering an especially severe and rare diseases)
- In some cases, private insurance pays for certain treatments that statutory health insurance does not provide or only to a limited extent (e.g. private insurance may pay for fertility treatments while the statutory insurance does not pay (for unmarried couples) or pay only a certain number of treatments.
This depends on the company and the tariff you choose. If you don’t submit invoices, you’ll usually get a certain amount refunded every year. This can be from 200 EUR to 1,000 EUR and more.
In this case, your spounse can usually choose whether he or she wants to affiliate in the statutory insurance or be privately insured. If your spouse chooses private insurance, your employer may also cover half of the insurance costs. This depends on how much your employer contributes already to your health insurance. The employer has a maximum of EUR 453 available per month, to pay for private insurance.
Example: You have a private health insurance for EUR 500 per month. You get EUR 250 (50% of the total costs) from the employer. In this case, your partner would also receive part of the private insurance (maximum 50% of the premium) from your employer. For example, if your spouse’s private insurance costs EUR 420, your employer would pay EUR 203 of the EUR 420. On the other hand, your employer does not share the costs of your spouse’s statutory health insurance. This is only possible with a private health insurance.
If you would like an exact calculation, please fill out the form on our page. We will then contact you and advise you free of charge.
