Description of the private health insurance system

What

Additional to the statutory health care there also exists a private health insurance system in Germany. About 11 % of people living in Germany have private health insurance (private Krankenversicherung, PKV).

Who

Only people who fulfill certain criteria can have private health insurance. These group includes people whose gross income has been above a certain threshold for at least one year (for 2017 it is set to 57.600€/year). Self-employed people can have private health insurance too. If you would prefer not to have private health insurance, you can opt for statutory health insurance instead.
Family members are not automatically covered and have to be insured separately.

How

Private health insurance premiums are not based on income, but on age, general state of health and the requested health care services. These may include things like treatment by a senior consultant, a private hospital room, and special medical, dental or naturopathic treatments. The insurance benefits that are included are stipulated in the individual policy.
People with pre-existing medical conditions usually pay more than healthy people, and older people usually pay more than younger people.

Good to know

Since 2009, all private health insurers have been required to offer a standard basic insurance policy. The premium for the basic policy may not exceed the highest statutory health insurance premium. The basic policy must include the compulsory standard medical services covered by statutory health insurers.

Where

You are free to choose the provider for your private health insurance. You can find a list of all private health insurances here: https://www.krankenkassen.de/private-krankenversicherung/pkv-liste/ (in German)