Health insurance is obligatory for everyone residing in Germany who
is employed full-time by a company. In general, the company and the
employee pay half of
the insurance contributions respectively. The employee's half usually
totals
around 10% of their gross salary. Health insurance is not obligatory
for
freelancers. However, it is highly recommended that cover is taken as
medical
costs in Germany are very expensive. Another point to bear in mind is
that
people not covered by health insurance run into problems when it comes
to
renewing their residency permit.
There are two types of health insurance in Germany. These are the
"public" and "private" systems.
- State (Public) health insurance is run
by German government. Most foreigners (and Germans as well) are obliged to take
out state health insurance.
- Private health insurance can be chosen
in some specific cases. It generally offers more extensive cover, but is not
automatically an advantage for all cases.
Public health insurance
If you are employed in Germany and you are earning less than EUR 47.250.-
gross per year (which is EUR 3.937,50
gross per month), you are
automatically and compulsorily insured in a public health insurance
scheme.
This also applies for students at a state or state-approved university
in Germany and for interns too. You are only exempt from mandatory
public health insurance as
an employee working in Germany if you are seconded (entsendet) by a
company which has its HQ in a member state of the EEA (European Economic Area)
or in certain contracting states (for the complete list please check with
DVKA.de).
Private health insurance
If you earn more than the threshold of EUR 3.937,50 gross
salary per month, you can elect to leave the public health insurance and get a
private health insurance while employed in Germany. Private health insurance
schemes provide more extensive cover, including the option of
private/semi-private hospitals, alternative therapies such as acupuncture and
herbal treatments, glasses and contact lenses and other treatment that may not
be available under the state scheme.
Private insurance holders will generally get a preferential treatment at the
doctors as they are more profitable for them. Some doctors even restrict their
practices only to private patients. Another advantage is that private
insurances don't expect you to pay any additional co-payments (Zusatzzahlungen)
for medicines and treatment as in the state scheme.
In summary, there are advantages and disadvantages to both options. Log onto
http://www.justlanded.com/english/
for more information.
Sources
- http://www.justlanded.com/english/Germany/Tools/
- http://www.toytowngermany.com/wiki/Health_insurance
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