Health insurance 

Health insurance

Statutory or private health insurance?

During their stay in Germany and at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain students must have health insurance cover. Health insurance is a mandatory insurance in Germany. Students will have to cover their own health insurance fees.

Students can choose between two types of health insurance in Germany: “statutory” and “private” health insurance. Statutory health insurance for students costs around € 80.00 a month, private health insurance may be either cheaper or more expensive. The scope of statutory health insurance is defined by law and covers medically necessary treatments that patients then do not have to pay for. All students have to do is present the doctor or hospital with the chip card provided by your health insurer. Private health insurance companies may have either a smaller or a larger range of services. The invoice initially will have to be paid by the patient and those costs/treatments covered by the insurance agreement will later be reimbursed.

According to the Central Federal Association of Health Insurance Funds almost 90% of Germans are covered by statutory health insurance.

Since private health insurance can offer varying benefits, it is at any rate sensible to check the list of services covered before signing any insurance agreement and to compare it with the list of services covered by statutory insurances.

Please note:
Often it is not possible for students to switch from the health insurance they selected in the first semester to another type of health insurance – from statutory to private health insurance or vice versa – until they have completed their  studies or reached the age of thirty! Even those international students who are covered by health insurance from their home country and have it approved when they enroll may find that switching to German statutory health insurance is no longer possible.

Students can find more information on health insurance here:

https://www.international.hu-berlin.de/en/studierende/aus-dem-ausland/wegweiser/05/05_01_02?set_language=en

https://howtogermany.com/insurance/health-insurance/health-insurance-options-germany/

This page last updated on: 25 July 2023