Which care aids like a care bed or rollator does German care insurance pay for?
In short
Which care aids like a care bed or rollator does German care insurance pay for? The care fund pays for a care bed as a care aid, often on loan, with a co-payment of at most 25 euros. A rollator is usually paid by health insurance on prescription, with a co-payment of 5 to 10 euros. You also get up to 42 euros a month for consumables such as gloves.
Statutory co-payments and limits for medical aids and care aids in Germany, 2026.
Example
Typical range
Care bed or other technical care aid
10 percent, at most 25 euros co-payment
Rollator prescribed by health insurance
10 percent, at least 5 and at most 10 euros
Consumable care aids
up to 42 euros a month
Consumable medical aids
at most 10 euros a month, from 2027 at most 15 euros
Children under 18 pay no co-payment.
From 1 January 2027 co-payments for health insurance aids rise to 7.50 to 15 euros.
The price in the worked example is an indicative figure from quoting practice.
Worked example
Father with care grade 3 comes home from hospital
He needs a care bed, a rollator and consumables. This is how the costs split.
Care bed on loan from the care fund
co-payment at most 25 euros
Rollator, contract price 90 euros
co-payment 9 euros
Lightweight rollator instead of standard
surcharge as quoted by the store
Gloves and disinfectant
up to 42 euros a month from the care fund
With the standard models the family pays at most 34 euros once. It only gets more expensive if they choose upgraded versions.
Care fund or health insurance: who pays for which aids
The care fund (Pflegekasse) pays for care aids that make care easier, relieve discomfort or allow a more independent life. A care bed is one of them because it can be raised, which makes washing and dressing in bed much easier. Aids that treat an illness or compensate for a disability, such as a rollator or wheelchair, are paid by health insurance (Krankenkasse).
You do not have to draw the line yourself. For aids that could fall under both, the fund that receives your application checks who is responsible and decides.
Aid
Who pays
Your share
Care bed
care fund, often on loan
10 percent, at most 25 euros
Home alarm, stove guard
care fund
ask your fund beforehand
Shower aid, bath insert
care fund
10 percent, at most 25 euros
Gloves, disinfectant, bed protectors
care fund
no co-payment, up to 42 euros a month
Rollator, walking stick, wheelchair
health insurance on prescription
10 percent, 5 to 10 euros
Incontinence products
health insurance
10 percent, at most 10 euros a month
How to apply for a care bed
You apply for a care bed or other care aid informally with the care fund. If a qualified nurse recommends the aid when you apply, it is presumed to be necessary and you do not need a doctor's prescription. The recommendation may be at most two weeks old.
The care fund must decide within three weeks, or five if an assessment is involved. If it does not give a valid reason for the delay, the aid counts as approved once the deadline passes. Note the date your application arrived.
The rollator comes through health insurance
For a rollator you usually need a doctor's prescription, which you take to a medical supply store (Sanitätshaus) that has a contract with your insurer. You do not need a care grade for it.
You are always entitled to a model with no extra charge. If you choose a lighter or more stylish model, you pay the difference. Ask the store explicitly for the model without surcharge.
Borrowing rather than buying
Funds often lend expensive care aids such as care beds or patient lifts. This has advantages: repair, adjustment and replacement are part of your entitlement, and when the care bed is no longer needed, the supplier collects it.
Do not buy a care bed on your own before the fund has decided. Later reimbursement is then not certain.
When care aids matter for private care insurance
Care aids themselves are well covered and co-payments stay small. What gets expensive are things no fund pays as an aid: a more comfortable riser chair, a mobility scooter beyond what is necessary, building work above the grant.
A daily care allowance policy helps with such costs because it can be spent freely. You do not need private care insurance just for aids; ongoing care costs are what matter.
Step by step
Clarify needs, ideally with the nursing service or during the care assessment.
Apply for the care bed and care aids with the care fund.
Get a doctor's prescription for the rollator.
Note the date of receipt, the deadline is three or five weeks.
Ask the supply store explicitly for the model without surcharge.
Checklist
Care grade applied for or granted
Nurse's recommendation no older than two weeks
Prescription for health insurance aids
Application for monthly consumable care aids made
Quote without surcharge requested
Common mistakes
Buying a care bed yourself and hoping for reimbursement
Signing for an expensive model with surcharge without asking
Letting the 42 euros for consumables lapse every month
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Can I get a care bed with care grade 1?
Yes, care aids are available from care grade 1 if the bed makes care easier or gives you more
independence.
Does the care fund pay for a rollator?
Usually health insurance pays on prescription.
If you apply to the care fund by mistake, it clarifies who is responsible and decides.
What if the fund does not decide in time?
If the care fund gives no valid reason, the care aid counts as approved after three weeks,
or five with an assessment.
Can I be exempted from co-payments?
Yes, under certain conditions, for example if your co-payments exceed an income-based limit.
Ask your insurer.
Who repairs a borrowed care bed?
Repair, adjustment and replacement are part of your entitlement.
Report defects to the fund or supplier instead of fixing them yourself.
