Private Health Insurance (PKV)
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Deciding to get PKV
PKV Cost
Best private health insurance
Six rating agencies in Germany examined different private health insurance plans and rated each plan based on several factors.
Two companies, Hallesche and Signal Iduna, are rated excellent by all the rating agencies in Germany. You can learn more about the ratings in our guide.
Health insurance finder
Determining which health insurance is right for you can be confusing. So, we created this tool to help you decide.
Answer a few questions, and the tool will tell you which health insurance best suits your current situation.
Book on German Healthcare
Learn about the German healthcare system. In this book, we answer expats’ questions about health insurance in Germany.
You’ll learn about different health insurance options available in Germany, which is better, their coverage, costs, how to find doctors and access medical care in Germany.
Freebies
PKV coverage checklist
Free checklist of services your private insurance should cover.
PKV tariff change letter
Sample letter you can use to change your private health insurance plan.
Contract termination letter
Sample letter you can use to cancel your private health insurance contract.
Contact Insurance Experts
Private health insurance is a complicated product. So, we recommend consulting an insurance broker or a fee-based advisor for personalized advice.
Insurance brokers and advisors are liable for their advice. This means that if the insurance plan they recommended doesn’t fulfill your wishes, they are liable to pay the damages.
Insurance brokers offer free advice. The insurance company pays them upon the successful conclusion of the contract.
An insurance broker can also help you file a claim with the provider. The broker we recommend has been offering services to expats for more than a decade.
You can contact the insurance brokers we recommend using this form for free.
What is private health insurance?
As the name suggests, private companies offer private health insurance. The German government regulates private insurers but doesn’t have as much control as it does on public health insurance.
56% of the employed eligible to get private insurance are insured under voluntary public insurance. And the rest, 44% has private health insurance. 41% of the self-employed in Germany are insured under private health insurance.
IS private health insurance WORTH it?
Many insurance brokers and agents sell you the dream of saving hundreds of euros monthly with private health insurance. It’s not entirely false.
However, taking private insurance without considering all the factors can be expensive. So, educate yourself before getting private insurance.
Explore the parameters you must consider before getting private health insurance.
Public vs private health insurance
Health insurance is compulsory for everyone in Germany. You can choose between public and private health insurance.
But which is better: public or private? Learn the differences between the two health systems to understand.
THINGS private insurance SHOULD COVER
Before you get private insurance, you must know what good insurance in Germany should cover.
Taking private health insurance is a lifelong decision. Thus, understand the essential services your insurance policy should offer.
Private health insurance COSTS
Good private health insurance costs between
- 466 € and 683 € per month to self-employed
- 301 € and 355 € per month to employees (after deducting the employer’s contribution)
- 288 € and 400 € per month to civil servants
Learn more about how private health insurance costs vary and develop over time.
EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION to private health insurance
Every employee in Germany is eligible for employer subsidy if they have a fully-fledged private health insurance policy. Employers don’t contribute to supplementary health insurance.
The employer contributes 8.15% of your gross monthly salary to private insurance. However, the subsidy is capped at 422 € as of 2024.
Private health insurance for
Self-Employed
As self-employed people must pay the whole health insurance premium themselves, they can save a lot with private insurance.
Students
Students must choose their health insurance before starting their studies. They cannot change from private to public during the studies.
Unemployed
Learn what happens to private health insurance during a job loss. You are compulsorily insured under public insurance.
Children
Children can get public or private health insurance depending on their parent’s health insurance.
DEDUCT private health insurance costs from TAXES
You can deduct your private health contributions from taxes. However, only the contributions related to basic health services are considered for tax purposes.
You can also deduct medical expenses not covered in your health insurance from taxes as extraordinary expenses.
CHANGE private health insurance plan
Everyone insured with private health insurance can change their insurance policy. Your insurance provider is legally obliged to offer tariff change advice free of charge.
However, we don’t recommend changing private insurance providers as you lose most of your retirement provisions.
Know your rights about changing private health insurance plans in Germany.
REDUCE THE COST of private health insurance
You can reduce your private health insurance costs if you can’t afford them anymore.
One of the most common ways is to change your private health insurance plan. Moreover, you don’t necessarily have to opt for a plan with fewer services to reduce costs.
Explore how to reduce your private health insurance costs without compromising the services.
CANCEL private health insurance
You can cancel your private health insurance policy by giving three months’ notice before the end of the “insurance year.” Depending on your situation, you can even cancel the contract without notice.
You must provide proof of the new health insurance to your existing insurer. Without the proof, your insurer cannot cancel the insurance policy.
Learn how to cancel your private health insurance contract correctly in Germany.
RETURN to public health insurance
Returning to public health insurance is difficult. And it’s almost impossible for people 55 and above to switch from private to public insurance.
However, there are certain situations in which you can return to public health insurance. Learn them now.
Advice on insurance brokers and agents
- Always get the insurance broker’s or agent’s advice in writing. It will act as proof if you feel cheated by the broker and want to take the matter to court.
- There are many insurance brokers on Facebook answering questions. They usually share incomplete information with an intent to sell. So, never make a decision based on that information.
- You must read guides on multiple websites before making a decision. The insurance industry is dynamic and changes quite frequently. Sometimes, a website couldn’t update the guide on time. Thus, reading on multiple sites ensures you get the latest and correct information.
- Here are the websites we recommend
- Finanztip 🇩🇪
- Verbraucherzentrale 🇩🇪
- Stiftung Warentest 🇩🇪
- Official German government websites like Bundesgesundheitsministerium, Destatis, etc. 🇩🇪
- make-it-in-germany 🇺🇸
- Handbookgermany 🇺🇸
- GermanPedia 🇺🇸