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Health insurance in Germany is mandatory for everyone and offers highest quality healthcare. Learn more in our Guide to Germany and our helpful FAQs.
Need more help? Call our English Service Hotline 0800 333 0060*
Healthy teeth are priceless. Barmer covers statutory costs for dental treatments and checkups, and offers you additional benefits.
If you wish to receive higher quality medical services, you must pay for them yourself. This applies, for example, to dental crowns made of precious metal or metal ceramics.
In the phase of preparation for prosthetics, please ask your dentist what additional services or materials you are willing to pay for yourself. Before starting the treatment, the dentist will prepare a plan according to which the treatment will take place and calculate its cost. We will provide you with information and decide on the amount of the fixed fee.
Barmer offers numerous services and programs to prevent diseases from developing, to detect them at an early stage or to prevent consequential health issues.
We offer numerous free screening examinations for the whole family. For example, the health checkup, early cancer detection or preventive dental care. Vaccinations offer you further protection - we cover the costs for most of them.
Yes. You can receive psychotherapy easily and free of charge via your e-health card, but your therapist needs to be registered within the public health insurance system.
The Barmer Doctor Finder is a good place to start when looking for an approved psychotherapist in your area – especially one who speaks your preferred language.
On the website of the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians), you can also search for psychotherapists in your area. You can find all approved psychotherapists under the heading “Tipps zur Online-Arztsuche: So finden Sie Ihren Arzt oder Psychotherapeuten”. Please note that this website is only available in German.
You can also receive telephone support to find a psychotherapist by calling the special appointment service hotline of the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung. You can reach this service at the nationwide number 116117 or at www.116117.de. Agents on this special hotline will try to support you in English, but the menu choices given at the beginning of the call are only in German.
It’s easy. We organize it for you. When you join Barmer, we will apply for your Social Security Number (Sozialversicherungsausweis) and send it to your postal address. So you don’t have to do anything.
Your personal ID for medical services. The e-health card displays or stores all necessary information about your health insurance and emergency data – so that you can be treated easily and safely. At the doctor’s practice or hospital, the e-health card is scanned and all necessary medical services are billed directly to Barmer.
Your personal online service centre. With the Barmer-App and Meine Barmer, you can easily manage your health insurance online – quickly and securely from wherever you are in the world. You can access the Meine Barmer online service centre directly from the Barmer website – or via the Barmer-App from a mobile device. As a registered user of our online service centre, you can:
Would you like to know more? Simply contact us for further support.
At Barmer, the contribution rate for employees is currently 16.1%. This is a combination of the standard statutory contribution rate of 14.6% and the additional individual contribution rate of 1.5%. The contributions are shared 50/50 between employer and employee. In other words, you only pay 8.05% of your gross salary for the security and benefits of public health insurance.
For students in Germany, it’s not possible to get public health insurance alone – long-term care insurance is mandatory as well, and both contributions are combined. All students pay the same reduced rate for these insurances.
Students are required to pay a monthly contribution of €122.78 (under the age of 23) or €127.65 (from the age of 23). Students with children receive a reduction on their long-term care contribution rate of 0.25% per child (from two to five children under the age of 25).
| Health insurance: | Long-term care insurance: | Additional individual contribution rate |
|---|---|---|
| €82.99 | €27.61* respectively €32.48** | €12.18 |
* under the age of 23 without children
** from the age of 23 without children
Yes. As a student, you can work alongside your studies – but there are various restrictions. The underlying rule is that your main occupation remains that of a student.
Students from the EU/EEA can be employed alongside their studies – as either a “working student” (Werkstudent) or in a so-called “Mini-Job”. Working students can generally work up to 20 hours a week on average. It’s possible to work more than 20 hours a week during weekends and study breaks, but only for a maximum of 26 weeks per year. It doesn’t matter how much money you earn as a working student, as long as the time restrictions are maintained. If your work time exceeds these limits, your main occupation is no longer a student – and you’ll be insured as an employee.
When you start working alongside your studies, you’ll need to take out mandatory student health insurance with a German health insurance provider like Barmer. As soon as you plan to start your job, please contact us so that we can provide you with all the necessary documents.
Non-EU/EEA students can be employed alongside their studies – as either a “working student” (Werkstudent) or in a so-called “Mini-Job” – if the residence permit allows for this. When you apply for a residence permit, speak with the immigration authorities about working alongside your studies so you know exactly what work permits and time restrictions apply to you.
No. As a Barmer member, you don’t need to pay anything when you visit a doctor who is registered within the public health insurance system. Everything that is medically necessary is billed directly to Barmer via your e-health card.
Video The electronic health insurance card
If you choose an additional treatment that is not covered under public healthcare, some extra costs may arise, but your doctor will inform you in advance. This way, you can decide what is best for you. An example is dental fillings: A special high-end material may require an additional cost – but the standard quality material is always free. In some cases, however, small co-payments are required for healthcare services.
Everybody who has public health insurance in Germany receives such a card: The electronic health insurance card. This card is personalized. It includes your name and your health insurance provider – for example Barmer.
For further information simply call our English Service Hotline on 0800 333 0060* (and +49 202 568 333 0060* from abroad). Or write us an email.
