Insurance in Germany: Feather Review
Feather is an insurance broker dedicated to helping expats with insurance in Germany. Feather provides all the necessary insurance you will ever need. Besides, their entire process is in English and is highly efficient.
The company was founded in 2018 and is based in Berlin. You can pick from a wide range of insurances which will be tremendously helpful in your life in Germany. In this article, we will explain all ins and outs of health insurance provided by Feather, as well as some other coverages you might find useful.
Health insurance in Germany
Health insurance is a must-have for everyone in Germany. You can choose between public and private health insurance. Public insurance or Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, is the most common way to get health coverage in Germany.
Employees get public insurance automatically when they start working. They pay between 14% and 17% of their gross income to public insurance companies.
Private insurance or Privatversicherung is another way to get insurance in Germany. It’s less popular than public coverage. When you earn more than 64,350 EUR annually as an employee, you can take out private insurance. The rate is determined by insurance companies and not your income.
Cost of public insurance in Germany
Public insurance always costs the same – between 14,6% and 17% of your gross income, depending on your status. So self-employed and freelancers pay more than employees.
Moreover, half of the insurance premium is paid by the employer (for employees).
Cost of private insurance in Germany
Premium prices differ from provider to provider. Average prices with a 10% deductible and dental coverage limited to 1,500 EUR/year (monthly fee) are:
- 25 years old: 185€ to 265 EUR
- 35 years old: 230€ to 325 EUR
- 45 years old: 265€ to 370 EUR
- 60 years old: 500€ to 740 EUR
Source: settle-in-berlin.com
Health insurance from Feather
Feather is an English-speaking health insurance broker based in Berlin. They don’t offer insurance but connect and assist you with insurance at various German providers. Feather doesn’t charge you extra for this.
They offer all types of health insurance, including public and private, plus other insurances like dental, personal liability, legal insurance, and protection for your bicycle. Their public coverage is the best for most people living or moving to Germany.
Insurances for Feather are suitable for:
- expats
- freelancers
- self-employed
- students
- employees
- unemployed
With Feather, you can sign up entirely online and get full English support anytime. That’s why they are our number one recommendation.
For example, expat health insurance is open to many people who are not employed and need health insurance for their visa application.
The price for this coverage starts at 72 EUR per month. You can sign up easily online, and you will be issued your coverage in just 2 minutes.
Long-term public health insurance from Feather is suitable for:
- University students under 30 years old
- Employees with a German contract
- Self-employed persons who have moved to DE from somewhere else in the EU
Private health insurance – This coverage is great for those earning a high income (more than 65,000€ per year) as it’s generally much less expensive than public health insurance. Here’s who might consider signing up for private health insurance:
- Young and healthy individuals earning more than 65,000 EUR per year
- Young and healthy self-employed individuals making more than 45,000 EUR per year
Feather is also one of the few companies that offer special insurance for visa applications and your first months in Germany. For this, check out expat insurance.
Nonetheless, the main distinction remains between public and private health insurance. At Feather, you can choose between both of them.
Public insurance
With Feather, you can sign up for public health insurance from the following providers:
- AOK
- TK
- Barmer
Read a short review on all of them in this article.
Public insurance is available for students, employees with certain incomes, and freelancers. The drawback of public coverage is that its rate correlates to your annual income. The more you make, the more you pay.
Who can take out public insurance in Germany?
- Employees whose annual income is less than 64,350 EUR gross
- Pensioners
- Students under 30 years old
- Trainees
- Unemployed who receive unemployment benefit
- Civil servants
- Family members of an employee without income ( e.g., spouse and children)
You can have public insurance even when earning more than 64,350 EUR/year; it’s your choice.
Cost
14,6% to 17,3% of your income but a maximum of 4,837 EUR per year.
Some typical examples:
- Minimum contribution: 180 EUR per month
- Maximum contribution for employees (employee’s share): 400 EUR per month
- Maximum contribution for freelancers: 830 EUR per month
- Contribution for students under 30 years old: 109 EUR per month
- Contribution for students over 30 years old: 180 EUR per month.
Source: settle-in-berlin.com
You can see full coverage and details on Feather’s website.
Private insurance
Private insurance is available to employees earning above 64,350 EUR (2022); however, freelancers can sign without limits. Contrasting public insurance, the rate of private coverage is fixed and doesn’t depend on your income whatsoever.
Therefore, people with high incomes, especially singles, might opt for private health insurance if they have that choice.
Who can sign up for private insurance with Feather?
- Job seekers
- Au-Pairs
- Expats
- Language students
- Adult education students
- Trainees
- Guest scientists
- People with income under 450 EUR per month
- Freelances, self-employed, business owners
- Employees in German companies with income over 64,350 EUR
- Civil servants
Private insurance from Feather includes low-cost insurance for expats, which is somewhat different from a comprehensive private plan for employees but also costs much less.
Private insurance is best suited to people with good health and no children.
Benefits of private insurance:
- Lower costs for high earners and self-employed
- Access to higher-quality treatments, materials and medical supplies
- Easier and faster access to specialists
Cost
The rate of private insurance doesn’t depend on your income but on the provider.
Private insurance from Feather costs between 130 EUR to 203 EUR for a basic average and between 209 EUR to 312 EUR for a premium one. The price depends on several factors, including:
- Coverage and benefits
- Your occupation
- Age
- Current health state
- Pre-existing medical conditions
- Previous illnesses and diseases
- The deductible
The coverage of private insurance includes everything you can expect in a public plan and some additional benefits, e.g., extensive dental care, a private room in a hospital, etc.
Read more about coverage on Feather’s website.
Health insurance for employees
Most employees in Germany have public insurance. But depending on your income, you might take out private coverage. With public insurance, costs are shared between you and your employer. Both are available at Feather.
In some cases, you might be able to get support from the employer, even with private insurance. A company will cover up to 385 EUR per month.
Health insurance for freelancers
Self-employed and freelancers can choose between public and private insurance. With public insurance, business owners/freelancers will have to pay 18,5% of their monthly income on average.
With Feather, you can sign up for several providers, including TK, AOK, Barmer, and DAK. You pay the same price everywhere – between 17,9% and 20,6% of the gross income (18,5% on average).
TK insurance for self-employed
For example, a self-employed person without children with a monthly gross income of 5,000 EUR pays:
- 677,25 EUR (14,1%) for health insurance
- 58,05 EUR (1,2%) for additional coverage (must be included)
- 159,64 EUR (3,3%) for people with no children
- Total: 18,6% of the gross income or 894,94 EUR
Nonetheless, it’s advisable to take out private coverage to avoid high costs. As a self-employed you can always opt for private insurance in Germany; income doesn’t play a role.
With Feather’s private coverage, you will pay between 261 EUR and 405 EUR per month on average.
The premium plan is more expensive: from 418 EUR to 623 EUR per month.
Health insurance for students
Students can choose between public and private insurance. Depending on your age, one or another will be a better option:
- Students under 30 could take out public health insurance at the great price of 109 EUR a month.
- Students over 30 may opt for private insurance since it’s cheaper. They don’t have access to the special student rate with public coverage.
- Exchange students from non-EU countries can sign only with private insurance, like the incoming plan with Feather.
Students can pick from TK, AOK, and Barmer at Feather. They all have similar coverages and prices (between 105 EUR and 112 EUR per month).
Health insurance for unemployed
An unemployed person staying or living in Germany must have valid health insurance. They can also choose between public and private coverage depending on the situation and preferences.
The following insurance options are available for the unemployed: private insurance, expat insurance, public insurance, and voluntary public insurance.
All can be found on Feather’s website, except voluntary public insurance. The latter is provided as special coverage by public insurance companies like AOK.
As unemployed, the easiest way to get insured is to take out expat insurance from Feather. For only 72 EUR, you will be covered.
Read an article about health insurance for unemployed people in Germany.
Expat insurance
Feather’s expat/incoming insurance is suitable for:
- New arrivals to Germany
- University students
- Students of language courses
- Interns and trainees
- Expats and unemployed persons
- Self-employed persons who are not earning a high income (less than 50,000 EUR annually)
- Visa application
Hence, if you need simple insurance for visa application and the first days in Germany, incoming insurance is your best and also the most affordable choice. The policy costs only 72 EUR per month.
Expat or international health insurance is a good option if you aren’t planning to stay in Germany for a very long time. It will cover you for up to 5 years.
Yet, it’s cheaper and also easier to obtain. Expat insurance is good for:
- People intended to stay temporarily in Germany (up to 5 years)
- International employees, freelancers, digital nomads, business owners, self-employed
Feather’s expat health insurance plans cover major medical expenses, medical emergencies that require hospitalization but also the costs related to preventative and out-patient care such as regular doctor visits.
Besides, the coverage includes:
- Accidents and emergencies
- Serious illness
- Ambulance transport
- Repatriation
Health insurance for visa application
To apply for any German visa, you need proof of valid health insurance. Embassies and immigration offices don’t require comprehensive coverage, and a simple expat/incoming insurance from Feather is enough. The price is 72 EUR per month.
Dental insurance
Dental insurance is a good addition to your health insurance. Feather has some of the most affordable policies to protect your teeth.
In Germany, public insurance covers only the following:
- Regular checkups
- Teeth descaling
- Fillings with standard material
- Teeth removal
Other procedures won’t be reimbursed at the full cost but around 60%-70%. If you don’t want to pay dentist bills, dental insurance is the best solution. One from Feather costs 9 EUR per month and covers:
- professional cleaning
- fillings
- root canal
- periodontal treatments
- bridges
- crowns
- implants
- inlays, onlays
- dentures
- teeth whitening
Here is how much you get reimbursed with Feather:
- Up to 100% reimbursement for professional cleaning, composite fillings, root canal, periodontal treatments, and mouthguards against teeth grinding
- 90% – 100% reimbursement for tooth replacement (advanced plan)
- Up to 200 EUR for teeth whitening every 2 years (advanced plan)
Liability insurance
Liability insurance is another insurance you need to consider getting while in Germany. Personal liability insurance won’t cost you much but brings incredible value with it.
Feather’s liability insurance is quite popular in Germany. It covers damages you make to other people and their properties/belongings for the starting price of only 4,94 EUR per month.
Feather’s personal liability policy covers up to 50 million EUR in damage costs. It will take care of all property damages, personal injuries, asset losses, and even the cost of keys.
Additionally, this liability insurance will reimburse your lost keys (including your work keys).
Feather’s liability insurance:
- No deductible
- Online signup
- Full protection
- Website and customer support in English
- Easy access and quick submission of claims via the platform
- Cancelation possible anytime
Conclusion
Weather is the ultimate insurance broker for expats in Germany. With them, you will get everything you ever need. Here is the list of insurances Feather provides:
- Public health insurance
- Private health insurance
- Student health insurance
- Expat insurance
- Dental insurance
- Personal liability insurance
- Contents insurance
- Legal insurance
- Life insurance
- Bike insurance
- Disability insurance
![3 Best Liability Insurance for Students in Germany [2023]](https://expatrist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Webp.net-resizeimage-122-1-768x512.jpg)
