Statutory and Private Health Insurances
In Germany, there are statutory and private health insurances:
For statutory health insurances, the contribution rate of 14.6% applies since 01.01.2019. Under certain circumstances, health insurance companies may charge additional contributions. The costs for the health insurance contributions (including possible additional contributions) are equally split between employers and employees (as of January 2019).
The benefits of statutory health insurance are largely fixed. There are differences, for example, in additional contributions, additional benefits and customer service.
Statutory health insurance funds charge the costs incurred directly to the doctor or hospital. All you have to do is present your insurance card before treatment.
If your spouse or children accompany you to Germany and then have their first place of residence in Germany, under certain circumstances they can be insured together with you (family insurance).
There is quite a range of health insurance providers and private insurance companies to choose from.
You can find an overview of statutory health insurance providers here.
In contrast to statutory health insurance, access to private health insurance is limited and dependent on annual income. Anyone who exceeds the annually changing annual income limit (as of 2019: 60,750 euros) can take out private or statutory health insurance. If your salary exceeds the annual income limit and you prefer private health insurance, it is advisable to obtain detailed information in advance, as it is sometimes not possible to switch from private to statutory health insurance.
In order for your health insurance to be recognised when applying for a residence permit, it must offer the same level of protection as a statutory health insurance in Germany. Therefore, please always check carefully which services are covered by the respective health insurance. Since many insurance companies offer a range of different tariffs, you should also make sure that you have chosen the appropriate tariff for your stay. Some tariffs, for example, have a maximum insurance period, cannot be extended or can only be taken out before or shortly after you enter Germany.
Please note that some new private health insurance policies do not cover pre-diagnosed medical conditions and often have waiting periods for treatment during pregnancy.
| An overview of private health insurance policies for international researchers who are not employed at a university can be found on the website of Euraxess. |
You can find an overview of private health insurances here.