Pflegeversicherung is a social insurance that helps pay for care when you cannot manage daily life because of illness, disability, or old age. It’s called long‑term care insurance in English.
Like health insurance, long-term care insurance is also mandatory for every resident in Germany.
Pflegeversicherung pays different types of support. This includes care services at home (Pflegesachleistungen), cash benefits to family carers (Pflegegeld), and contributions for inpatient nursing homes. You are assessed for a care level (Pflegegrad 1–5) to decide what help you get.
As an expat in Germany, you will usually join long-term care insurance automatically when you get public health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung). If you have private health insurance, your contract must include equivalent long‑term care cover.
Difference between private and public health insurance in Germany ->
Examples:
- You need help with dressing and washing. The long-term care insurance pays for professional home care or gives cash benefits (Pflegegeld) to a family member who helps you.
- You need full-time nursing home care. The long-term care insurance pays part of the nursing home costs according to your care level.