German health insurance in 2025: What you need to know
In this article, you will find what you need to know about public health insurance providers, contributions, and which health insurance company is the cheapest.
Public health insurance prices are rising
You might have heard that the additional contributions for public health insurance have risen to a historic level of more than 15% in 2025. What does this really mean for you in terms of which insurance best fits your life and your wallet? Getsafe has you covered – here’s what you need to know about German health insurance in 2025 so you can decide if it’s time to make a switch and save money.
How public health contributions work
There are two types of contributions: the general contribution (Allgemeinbeitrag) which covers your general care and services, and the additional contribution (Zusatzbeitrag) which helps fill the financial gaps. It varies by insurer, as each one has different cost burdens.
The general contribution is set at 14.6% of the gross (pre-tax) salary determined by the German Ministry of Health. Employees and employers each pay half, or 7.3%. The general contribution rate has remained stable in recent years, but the average additional contribution has not. It has increased by 0.8 percentage points to over 2.5 % in 2025. In some cases public health insurance providers have made significantly higher adjustments.
Additional contributions compared
When choosing public health insurance, additional contributions is a factor that turns out to be pretty important. Not only do they vary from provider to provider, but they can go up more often. Here’s an idea of what that can look like when compared:
By the way: We can compare even more public health insurers in a non-binding consultation. We are happy to help!
But what about other services?
Something that can really set public health insurance providers apart from one another is additional services. They all offer general coverage, but they do have budgets that they can put towards funding additional services. The types of additional services they cover, how often they’re covered, and for how much of the cost, can vary from provider to provider.
For example, some providers cover treatment like dental cleaning or travel vaccinations. Some only provide pregnancy subsidies in selected regions and others provide several hundred euros no matter where you live. Understanding what additional services are important to you, and how much you want to pay out of pocket for them, can influence which provider you choose.
How Getsafe can help you
Getsafe can now help you find the public health insurance provider that fits you. Book your free, English-language consultation with one of our top-rated experts, and we’ll compare public insurance providers and benefits for you – so you get the coverage you need at a price you can afford. We even take care of switching providers for you!
