Public health insurance in Germany is one of the types of health insurance that is compulsory for people living in the country. Statutory health insurance (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) is considered a fundamental element of the country’s healthcare system.
Statutory health insurance can also be referred to as general insurance, public insurance or compulsory insurance. In addition to statutory health insurance, private health insurance is also available in Germany.
The health system in Germany guarantees access to health care for citizens and residents and includes comprehensive health insurance coverage. The solidarity principle of statutory health insurance means that the health system guarantees every insured person the medically necessary statutory health insurance coverage, regardless of their income or the amount of premiums they pay and regardless of their risk of illness.
Who is covered by public health insurance in Germany?
Every employee is obliged to contribute to a statutory health insurance scheme. You can only choose which type of health insurance you want if
- You earn more than 73,800 euros per year (for 2025).
- You are self-employed (for example, if you are self-employed or run your own business).
- You are a civil servant.
This means that if you do not have any of the above, you must be covered by statutory health insurance.
Public health insurance coverage in Germany
If you have statutory health insurance, it also covers:
Sickness benefit
If you are unable to work due to illness, your employer will usually cover your salary for six weeks. After that, anyone covered by statutory health insurance is entitled to sickness benefit for up to 78 weeks.
Maternity benefit
If you contribute to statutory health insurance, you are usually also entitled to maternity benefit for six weeks before and after the birth.
Long-term care insurance
Long-term care insurance is usually operated as a branch of statutory health insurance, so if you are insured by statutory health insurance, you can also claim long-term care benefits in the event of illness and old age.
Child sickness benefit
If both you and your child are insured under a statutory health insurance scheme, you are entitled to claim child sickness benefit (Kinderkrankengeld) if your child falls ill and you have to take time off work to look after him or her.
The most well-known statutory health insurance providers in Germany are
Since the state regulates statutory health insurance, the benefits and costs of the more than 100 health insurances that exist in Germany are similar. The biggest differences can be found in bonus programs, customer service and additional contribution rates.
At Vasistdas we recommend you to consider Barmer, AOK, DAK and TK as the best providers of statutory health insurance in Germany.
Barmer is ahead of its competitors with English support during the subscription process, bonus programs and being much more digital than other insurers.
So, which is the best health insurance in Germany?
All of the well-known insurances in Germany are really good and the differences between them are really small. BUT some might be a little better for you. With DAK Insurance, for example, you have to pay the highest premium of the four and you don’t get a big benefit in return.
In contrast, with Barmer, which is very popular especially among expats and new-comers to Germany, your monthly premiums are lower and you can get support in English, as well as Turkish, during the subscription process.
Let’s now evaluate the insurance companies among themselves. But let’s not forget: All of these companies are really good, only some of them are a bit better 🙂
Public health insurance companies
Let’s take a look at the best-known statutory health insurance companies in Germany.
Barmer Insurance in Germany
Barmer Krankenkasse is a health insurance organization operating in Germany. Operating since the early 1800s, Barmer Krankenkasse is one of the five largest health insurance companies in Germany. BARMER serves approximately 8.5 million members in Germany. It also specializes in providing health insurance for expats and immigrants.
Barmer offers much more innovative and digital services than other insurance providers. The most important difference with Barmer is the English membership support, which is not available in the same coverage with other insurers. Barmer also provides subscription support in Turkish and free medical consultancy to its subscribers with Teledoktor. In other words, you can call your doctor with your cell phone without leaving your home.
Barmer‘s services:
- International employees, students and families can easily benefit from award-winning health insurance.
- Special English support for Vasistdas during the membership process
- 100% coverage for recommended vaccinations
- Win more than €100 in cash prizes every year
- BARMER Teledoctor – Free medical advice in English
- Emergency cover when traveling within the EU
- Award-winning BARMER-App – Easily manage everything online
- Free family insurance
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AOK Insurance in Germany
AOK Krankenkasse is a health insurance organization operating in Germany. AOK (Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse) is one of the oldest and largest health insurance companies in Germany, founded in 1884. AOK Krankenkasse has a wide range of members and offers comprehensive health services to its members.
AOK insurance remains a bit more traditional than other insurance companies and has fewer digital solutions than others.
In addition, in Germany, AOK is incorporated on a state-by-state basis and health insurance premiums vary regionally. For example, if you live in Berlin, you can join AOK Nordost and pay a 3.5% co-payment (Zusatzbeitrag), while if you live in Magdeburg, you must join AOK Sachsen-Anhalt and pay a 2.5% co-payment (Zusatzbeitrag).
DAK Insurance in Germany
As one of Germany’s largest statutory health insurers, DAK-Gesundheit is one of Germany’s oldest health care providers with 230 years of experience. DAK-Gesundheit insures around six million people in Germany.
DAK Insurance in Germany is among the best health insurances and the contribution for 2025 is 2.8%.
TK Insurance in Germany
TK (Techniker Krankenkasse) is a health insurance company operating in Germany. Founded in 1884, TK is one of the largest and oldest health insurance companies in Germany. Offering comprehensive health services to its members, TK offers a wide range of support in health care, treatment costs, medication and healthy living with a modern and innovative approach.
Techniker Krankenkasse is one of the best health insurance companies in Germany. As of January 2023, TK Insurance is the insurance company with the largest market share in Germany, serving 11.4 million members. The biggest reason why TK is so big is that it entered the market much earlier than its competitors and most large companies automatically recommend it to their employees.
TK Krankenkasse provides customer service support in English during and throughout the subscription process.
You can take out health insurance with TK Sigorta online here (English support only).
How is the statutory health insurance premium calculated in Germany?
The monthly premium you pay for health insurance depends on the statutory health insurance fund (Krankenkasse) you choose to be insured with. When calculating the premium, two values are calculated. The first value is the contribution rate (Beitrags-satz) and the second value is the additional contribution (Zusatzbeitrag).
Each Krankenkasse is entitled to add an additional contribution to cover its costs. Your premium is calculated by multiplying the sum of these two values by your gross salary.
On average, the cost of public health insurance in Germany is 16.2% of your gross income. There is a maximum income amount (Höchstbeitrag or Beitragsbemessungsgrenze) on which the cost of health insurance is calculated. This is an income of 66,150 euros (gross) in 2025. So even if your income is higher, you will not have to pay more for your public health insurance. However, the maximum amount of income increases almost every year, so your cost of public health insurance will also increase every year.
So you can reduce costs by choosing the insurance with the lowest co-payment rate, but you should also look at other criteria that are just as important as the cost.
The contribution rates for the current year can also be found on the website of the German Ministry of Health.
Statutory health insurance rates in Germany
The average costs for public health insurance (i.e. statutory health insurance) in Germany will vary for payroll employees, self-employed, freelancers and students. The exact amount you pay will depend on your salary.
Related article: Student health insurance in Germany
Frequently asked questions about public health insurance
In this section, we answer your questions about public, i.e. statutory, health insurance:
How much is statutory health insurance for children and spouses?
In statutory health insurance, children and parents can be insured together free of charge through a family insurance fund.
How can I be examined with statutory health insurance?
When you have statutory health insurance, you receive a health insurance card, which you must present at the reception desk of a doctor’s office or hospital. With this card, your doctor will automatically invoice all (covered) costs to your health insurance fund, so you don’t have to deal with any paperwork.
Does the health insurance in Germany have to accept me?
Yes. Any public health insurance provider in Germany has to accept you, even if you have a pre-insurance illness. Private insurance, however, has the right to refuse you.
Which treatments are covered by statutory health insurance in Germany?
German statutory health insurance offers a fairly comprehensive coverage, including
- Hospital treatment
- Family doctor and doctor visits
- Rehabilitation such as home care or physiotherapy
- Health checks from the age of 35
- Cancer screening
- Medicines, dressings, therapies and aids such as hearing aids or wheelchairs
- Dental check-ups
- Up to 18 years of age orthodontic treatment, dentures and crowns
You will be warned by the relevant health care provider if the treatment will not be paid for by the health insurance company.
What is a co-payment (Zuzahlung)?
To help cover the costs of the statutory health care system, patients are expected to make small additional payments (Zuzahlungen) towards the cost of their health care.
Insured persons do not have to pay more than 2% of their gross income in a calendar year as a supplementary treatment payment for living costs.
For insured persons undergoing long-term treatment for the same serious illness or, for example, chronically ill persons participating in a structured treatment program, a cost-of-living limit of 1% of gross income applies.
In the case of social assistance recipients, the standard rate of the head of household is used to calculate the annual maximum amount of additional treatment payments.
The load limit also applies to residents of retirement homes and nursing homes.
Health insurance for pensioners in Germany
In Germany, retirees are also obliged to take out health insurance. If you have contributed to a statutory health insurance scheme for 90% of the second half of your working life, you must contribute to a statutory health insurance scheme for pensioners (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung der Rentner).
The health insurance contributions will be deducted from your pension (approximately 14.6% of your statutory pension and any additional income, including private or company pensions). Your pension fund will contribute 50% of the contributions from your statutory pension. So you will only pay the remaining 50%.
If you don’t meet the criteria, you can contribute voluntarily to the VKV, but your contributions may be higher. Alternatively, you can take out private health insurance for retirees and your pension insurance fund will usually supplement your contributions.
Changing your health insurance provider in Germany
In Germany, you can change your insurance provider every year if you wish. If your provider increases the co-payment (Zusatzbeitrag) rates, you have a special right of termination, no matter how long you have held your policy. All you need to do is change your provider before the end of the month in which you are notified of the change.
To minimize bureaucracy, health insurance companies are required to take care of the transition. So, if you decide to switch, simply take out a new policy with your preferred Krankenkasse. They will inform your former insurer and terminate your previous policy.
In the meantime, keep in mind that a two-month notice period applies: If you apply for a new policy at the end of January, your health insurance will be transferred to your new insurer by April 1.
