Healthcare
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Statutory (GKV) vs private (PKV) health insurance — and how to choose a Krankenkasse.
GKV vs PKV: statutory versus private health insuranceHealth insurance is mandatory in Germany. Most employees are automatically enrolled in the statutory system (GKV); the private system (PKV) is only accessible above an income threshold and requires careful consideration.
How to choose a KrankenkasseWithin GKV, you can choose your insurer (Krankenkasse). TK (Techniker Krankenkasse), AOK, and Barmer are the three largest, each with different contribution add-on rates and service offerings.
Registering with a Hausarzt and your insurance cardOnce enrolled with a Krankenkasse, you receive a Gesundheitskarte (health insurance card) needed at every appointment. You should register with a local Hausarzt (GP) who acts as your primary care coordinator.
Prescriptions, e-prescriptions and pharmaciesGermany has moved to the electronic prescription (e-Rezept) system. Pharmacies (Apotheken) are the only place to fill prescriptions — supermarkets do not sell prescription medicines.
Medical emergencies in Germany112 is the single emergency number for ambulance and fire across all of Germany (and the EU). For non-life-threatening urgent care, the out-of-hours GP service (Ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst) is reached on 116 117.