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In Germany, there is no national health insurance. Instead, you must either be covered by a private health insurance plan or enroll in one of the country's public health insurance programs (GKV/PKV). This guide will help you understand how German healthcare works so that you can make an informed decision about your own coverage while living here. click here
Health insurance in Germany
As a non-EU citizen, it’s compulsory for you to have a health insurance policy for the duration of your stay in Germany. There are two types of health insurance: public and private.
Private health insurance can be taken out by you or your employer and will usually cover private treatment, including dental care. These policies are not cheap and may even cost more than €500 per month, but this depends on your income level and whether or not you are eligible for state subsidies (which would reduce the price).
Public health insurance is provided by the government through sickness funds that cover different groups of people such as employees working in certain sectors, retired people over 65 years old and children under 18 years old. Depending on which fund an individual belongs to, his/her contributions will vary greatly from year to year depending on their age group (there are also special rates for those who do not work full time or who have low incomes).
The public health funds (Krankenkassen) offer several different types of coverage depending upon whether they want their members to receive outpatient care only (a so-called mini-private contract), hospitalization only (another so-called mini-private contract) or both outpatient care and hospitalization (a standard private contract). Individuals who don’t belong to any statutory scheme must take out private medical insurance policies with one of these seven main providers: AOK; Barmer GEK; BKK Dachverband; Deutsche BKK Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse eV; TARGOBANK Gesundheitswesen GmbH
Setting up your health insurance for an extended stay in Germany
As a non-EU citizen (or a citizen of another country that doesn't have a reciprocal agreement with Germany) you must be able to prove that you have adequate health insurance in order to live in Germany for more than three months.
The easiest way to do this is by purchasing health insurance from an insurance provider before arriving in Germany. You can also get insurance through an online broker, who will help you find the best plan for your specific needs, or at any major travel agent when booking your trip.
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