5 Best German Health Insurance in 2023
5 Best German Health Insurance
Getting expat health insurance is one of the most vital requirements when relocating to a new country. However, acquiring the ideal one that suits your needs can be hectic. This is especially so when moving to a country with strict health insurance coverage requirements and a wide selection like Germany.
The best German health insurance include Ottonova, Cigna, Feather, Getsafe. However, there are other notable public heath insurance providers like Barmer, AOK and TK- Techniker Krankenkasse.
All expats must acquire reliable expat health insurance to qualify for a German visa. Read on as we dissect the best health insurance in Germany and their features. This article also breaks down the public and private health insurance sectors for better understanding.
Private Health Insurance
Although everyone is eligible for German public health insurance, only a few can sign up for private health insurance in this country. Those qualified for private health insurance include students, freelancers, civil servants, doctors, and other employees earning yearly salaries of more than 62,550€.
Private health insurance in Germany is ideal if you live in a large city where it can take days for a doctor to be free to take you in. This private insurance will immediately get you health appointments, regardless of your location.
Private health insurance allows one to get the doctor of their choice whenever needed. In the public health plan, you’ll have to see the general practitioner first to get a referral to a specialist. In addition, you have the liberty to choose from the various private health insurance providers with ease comapred to the public providers.
You can easily book an appointment with a specialist with a private health insurance plan.
German private health insurance allows you to have luxurious health treatments. For instance, you can get a ‘Privatpraxis’, commonly known as private practice. Doctors offering private practice see few patients daily, meaning they’ll spend more time with you. These appointments through private insurance are also always on time thanks to the reliability of private health insurance companies.
If you earn a pretty high income, you’ll be able to save a lot more with private health insurance than its public counterpart in Germany. The amount payable for German private health insurance varies depending on the physical health, age, and the number of extra services your plan will cover. That said, private health insurance prices have always been reasonable to those that can afford
Private health insurance is also pretty affordable as you’ll get most of your money back. With this insurance, you pay for the medicine and treatments. For this reason, you are required to send in your bills to the public health insurance, and they will reimburse you for the expenses. Always strive to get your cover from independent health insurance broker
as these would quarantee an easier time during medical treatment
It’s advisable you send your bills annually. Your public health insurance will only reimburse some of your money and not the whole amount if you don’t do it for several years. The best German private health insurance include:
Cigna Global has a 24/7 English-based support system at your service. It also has a global network of more than a million health providers and healthcare professionals, guaranteeing the best medical care.
As an international health care insurer, Cigna global has a medical support system in more than two hundred countries. This makes it a reliable private health insurance if you often travel from one country to another.
Cigna Global features flexible plans customized to meet your budget and all your needs. With this plan, you have access to the best Cigna medical professionals, consisting of doctors and nurses.
CG has a digital portal, allowing you to store all your important medical documents securely. This also allows easy access to these documents, regardless of your location.
In case of rear health treatments, the Cigna Global health cover reimburses all your expenses almost immediately.
Cigna Global offers three major payment plans for your private health insurance:
Annually
Quarterly
Monthly
You can make payments using your debit or credit card. If you prefer annual payments, you could make the payment using a bank wire transfer.
Feather is the best private health insurance in Germany. It covers all unexpected or emergency medical procedures and treatments. Additionally, this policy pays for the follow-up medical costs included in such scenarios.
Unlike most private health insurers, Feather covers sudden non-pre existing illnesses, including treatment and hospitalization.
Feather customers range from new arrivals, visa seekers, students, interns, post-doctorates to researchers and freelancers.
Feather private health insurance covers all the travel costs in case the treatment requires you to travel to your home country, which is pretty rare.
The only underside to the Feather health policy is that it doesn’t include routine checkups, pre-existing conditions, psychotherapy treatments, and appointments, and regular vaccinations. However, travel vaccinations are covered if you sign up for the advanced plan.
Although a Feather health policy is ideal if you require health insurance coverage fast, it isn’t the best if you intend to stay in Germany for a long period. This policy has a five years maximum term limit.
Feather policy cost ranges depending on your age, health, and sex. However, its considerably cheaper than public health insurance if you’re fit and young.
Ottonova is on of the most sought after private health insurance providers in Germany. It features English support and is thus ideal for those who aren’t fluent in German. Its website also clearly states all the perks involved with working with them. You’ll have a smooth time comparing all the options before signing up.
The Ottonova health insurance coverage is one of the cheapest in Germany. This private health insurance company allows you to save upto 2,803€ yearly compared to the public health insurance policies.
Being online-based, the Ottonova insurance cover doesn’t charge anything for paperwork.
Ottonova allows you to sign up regardless of your visa duration. Most private health insurances in Germany require one to have a long-term visa to qualify for an application.
Suppose you end up staying in Germany for more than five years, Ottonova private health insurance allows you to switch your plan from the expat level to business class, first class, or the Premium economy Insurance tariff easily. What’s more, there’s no additional risk assessment required for this private health insurance policy.
The table below shows the average charges for various Ottonova private health insurance plans.
Plan
Monthly Rate
First Class
167€
Premium Economy
263€
Business Class
295€
Getsafe health insurance is ideal for students, self-employed workers, and civil servants. Most civil servants prefer this private health insurance to public health insurance as it’s state-subsidized up to fifty percent, meaning they contribute ridiculously low amounts.
The charges for self-employed workers vary from one individual to another, depending on their gross income.
Getsafe private health insurance covers:
Dental care and treatment
Outpatient
Inpatient
Daily sickness charges
Abroad travel expenses
Daily nursing charges
It’s advisable to avoid Getsafe health insurance if you’re old or have poor health. This pprivate health insurance charges increase with age and the number of health complications. In this case, public health insurance is a better option for you.
Allianz care offers both short-term and long-term policies. It covers your medical expenses even if you stay in Germany for less than six months, which is pretty reliable. This is ideal for companies sending their employees for short business trips.
An Allianz Care insurance cover allows you to access more than a million medical providers. Getting a hospital that accepts this cover is easy.
Allianz Care insurance has a wide range of private health insurance care plans, from outpatient, dental, and maternity to repatriation.
Allianz health insurance coverage charges are flexible, as you can reduce the premium cost. The plan allows you to choose a fixed deductible amount you’re willing to pay before the company steps in. This is reliable if you can’t meet the cost immediately and monthly.
Public Health Insurance
If your contract guarantees an annual salary of less than 62,550€, your employer must sign you up for state statutory health insurance through public health insurance companies. Although the signing up is preprogrammed, your employer must confirm if you have any preferences before doing so. Most public health insurers cover for both medical and dental treatment.
Paying a monthly fee is mandatory for German health insurance. The amount payable varies from one individual to another, depending on their gross salary. 150€ is the minimum amount, while the maximum is around 685€.
Family co-insurance is possible in most conditions. Civil partners, spouses, and children under twenty-five years old are covered in this state statutory health insurance. Dependants aren’t required to pay any contributions provided they earn less than 520€.
Retirees and other pensioners receiving consistent unemployment benefits are eligible for public health insurance.
Public health insurance allows you to see a doctor or psychotherapist anytime, provided they are free. If you have any inquiries, you can also book an appointment at any time, regardless of the issue’s seriousness.
German public health insurance covers follow-up care in case of acute illnesses, injuries, or surgery.
The best German public health insurance include:
Techniker is the most popular German public health insurance. Moreover, this health insurance company features an English-speaking support system, making it expat-friendly.
The TK eHealth card allows you to get medical services in Germany and abroad.
Signing up for Techniker insurance is fast and reliable. Unlike most public health insurance facilities, you don’t need to fill up a physical form and post it to the head office. Its signing-in process is online-based; you can complete it in the comfort of your home within minutes.
You can also access all the policy information online, including the confirmation and insurance number.
Techniker has a solid offering in terms of health care coverage, meaning you have a more comprehensive range of extras that allow you to access highly luxurious treatment. TK’s insurance plan covers preventative, inpatient, outpatient, and rehabilitative care. Pregnancy, glasses, physiotherapy, and dental care are also included in this policy.
TK insurance charges 14.6% of your gross salary and an additional contribution of 1.2%. As an employee, your employer pays for half of the insurance, meaning it’s pretty affordable.
The table below shows the Techniker contribution rates.
Contribution
Rates
Total contribution
15.8%
General contribution rate
14.6%
Individual supplementary contribution rate
1.2%
Source: TK Contribution Rate
Students pay a fixed rate of 110€ monthly for a Techniker cover.
Barmer provides public health insurance to about 8.5 million customers and caters to foreigners, including travelers and expats. This health insurance company has three hundred and fifty service points and reliable digital communication channels, making them easily accessible.
The Barmer health insurance covers all the recommended vaccinations and awards all its users cash rewards of about 100€ yearly. Barmer also offers 24/7 medical advice to their customers, ensuring they get the best from all their perks.
Barmer contribution rates are as follows:
Contribution
Percentage
Standard contribution rate
16.1%
Reduced contribution rate
15.5%
Additional contribution rate
1.5%
Source: Barmer Contributions
Barmer health insurance caters to all dental care treatments and checkups. It also supports treatments involving alternative healing procedures like osteopathy, acupuncture, traditional Chinese drugs, or homeopathy.
With Barmer Doctor Finder, you can easily get a doctor with multiple language skills, making it easy to get the best services thanks to proper communication.
Preventative care is free with the Barmer public health insurance, promoting the early detection of health risks, exposures, and diseases.
If you pay for travel vaccinations, Barmer reimburses all the cash spent, allowing you to spend your money on other critical traveling expenses.
AOK offers multilingual support; it’s ideal for expats from all over the world. Aside from professionals, this policy covers vocational training students and bachelor and master’s students. Below is a table showing how the AOK charges range from one customer to another.
Customer
The amount is split with the employer, so the employee contributes 7.3%.
Rate
Employee: 14.6%.
Self-employed: 14%
Source: AOK Rates
The AOK policy covers essential examinations for dental prophylaxis and cancer prevention. Other preventative treatments included in this policy are skin checks.
Being digitalized, AOK health insurance allows you to monitor your medical documents like receipts online. This makes you feel secure and keep tabs on all your spending.
AOK has 1,218 branches spread throughout Germany, making them highly accessible. You can easily spot one of their branches in town or your school. All their branches have reliable and adequate employees at your service.
With over a hundred years in operation, AOK has won multiple awards for exceptional medical care. Some of the awards include the ‘first position’ in the 2020 Young Brand Awards and the Focus Money ‘Highest Recommendation’ spot.
