Do I Need Supplementary Health Insurance?

In Germany, every employee has to have statutory health insurance. This covers most or all of the costs for standard health checkups and procedures, as well as medication, therapy and devices such as hearing aids. But some kinds of treatment, like dental treatment and vaccinations for travelling to exotic countries, are not always covered. This guide shows you how to fill those gaps and ensure that you stay fit, healthy and on top form.

Is your standard health insurance enough?

When starting your first job, you’ll soon realise how much of your wage goes into the mandatory health insurance: 14.6% of your gross monthly income. While this seems expensive, everyone needs this protection to ensure access to medical care if it is needed. If you ever need to visit a doctor or have treatment in a hospital, you don’t have to worry about the costs. And if you are unable to work for a longer period of time, statutory health insurance provides a safety net. By law, your employer has to give you sick pay for six weeks. After this, your health insurer will step in and pay you a sickness benefit (Krankengeld) for up to 76 weeks.

While your standard health insurance pays for all necessary medical care, some benefits have been reduced in the last few years. This leaves a few gaps in your cover. Statutory health insurance also only provides basic services. So if you want a higher quality service or better payouts to cover more expensive treatment options, you should look at supplementary health insurance.

What benefits do you get with supplementary health insurance?

Supplementary health insurance gives you additional benefits that aren’t available with statutory insurance. If you would prefer to have some privacy during your stay in hospital, some insurers offer one- or two-bed hospital rooms as part of their cover. You can also opt for better hospital treatment or higher doctors fees. This can be particularly useful if you require expensive, specialist medical care, such as outpatient orthopaedic surgery to correct a sporting injury.

Do you need extra dental cover or travel health insurance?

To ensure the most comprehensive protection, you should also consider dental insurance and travel health insurance. Statutory health insurance only pays for what is absolutely necessary, such as treatment for dental cavities. If you would like a higher quality material like ceramic for your filling, you will have to pay extra. With additional dental cover you don’t have to worry about this.

And travel health insurance is a must if you are planning on taking a trip abroad. For less than €10 a month, it covers the costs if you require medical treatment on holiday – and it can pay for your travel home if necessary. With these two additions to your coverage, you can show off your best smile while you take a well-earned holiday.

More financial support while you recover

If you are unable to work for more than six weeks, your statutory health insurer will pay you a sickness benefit. This is 70% of your gross monthly income, but cannot exceed 90% of your net monthly income. So, for example, if you earn €2,500 per month and receive €1628.70 after taxes, you would get €1,284.30 per month in sickness benefits (or around €42.81 per day). Although the calculations behind this can be quite complicated, some health insurers like Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) and AOK offer an online calculator. Simply enter a few details about your income and instantly find out how much you would be paid.

If you feel like you would need a higher sickness benefit for a long-term illness, then supplementary health insurance could be a good choice. With an additional sick pay insurance (German: Krankentagegeldversicherung) you can select an amount up to €100 per day as an employee. This benefit is paid out after six weeks of illness when your employer is no longer paying your wage, and some providers do not place a limit of the length of time it can be paid out for.

Our recommendations

The most important supplementary health insurance is actually the cheapest: travel health insurance. You should always have this cover before you leave the country. And from just 83 cents a month, you can insure your travels at a very low cost.

Dental treatment insurance can also fill an important gap in your health coverage. But while statutory health insurers often offer seemingly attractive add-ons for this, watch out for long-term contracts that lock you in with the provider.

Finally, an additional sickness benefit only really makes sense if you are a freelancer or a high earner who would be set to lose more money through lengthy sickness. On the other hand, additional cover for hospital stays could be worthwhile if you would like the freedom to choose your hospital and type of treatment. These policies are cheaper for younger people, so early consideration can pay off.

To find the best coverage to keep you fit and healthy, we recommend speaking to a consultant.