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Is supplementary health insurance worth it before pregnancy?

In short

Is supplementary health insurance worth it before pregnancy? For the medical side, usually not: German statutory health insurance pays check-ups, three ultrasound scans, a midwife and the birth. It is worth it for a single room, which otherwise costs about EUR 89 to 134 a night, and to insure your baby without health questions. Sign up at least eight months before the birth.

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What it costs

What a single room costs if you pay yourself, and what insurers charge for it.

Example	Typical range
Single room per night, paying yourself	on average about EUR 89 to 134, depending on the federal state
Double room per night, paying yourself	on average about EUR 43 to 72
Hospital tariff, single room and head physician, starting age 43	about EUR 39 to 75 a month
Hospital tariff, double room, starting age 43	about EUR 36 to 49 a month
Hospital tariff for a healthy woman around 30	about EUR 15 to 35 a month
Professional teeth cleaning	about EUR 80 to 120

Room prices from the private health insurers' overview, tariff premiums from a 2020 test for 43-year-olds.

The premium for a woman around 30 and the price of teeth cleaning are guide values from our quoting practice.

Your premium depends on age, health and scope; we obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Birth with four nights in hospital, national average

How premiums and benefit compare if you sign a year before the pregnancy.

Single room, 4 nights at about EUR 124	around EUR 500
Hospital tariff, about EUR 25 a month	EUR 300 a year
Premiums until the birth, 20 months	EUR 500
Baby added without health questions	yes, if registered within two months

For the room at one birth you roughly break even. The gain lies in cover for every later hospital stay and in insuring your child without health questions.

What statutory insurance already covers

If you are in the public system (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung), pregnancy and birth are well covered: check-ups every four weeks and every two weeks towards the end, three ultrasound scans, help from a midwife (Hebamme) until twelve weeks after the birth, and the birth in hospital, a birth centre or at home.

There are no co-payments for medicines linked to the pregnancy, and a caesarean section is a normal benefit. For the medical care you do not need any extra insurance.

Benefit	Statutory insurance	Supplementary insurance
Check-ups and three ultrasound scans	yes	not needed
Midwife before and after the birth	yes, until twelve weeks after	not needed
Birth and caesarean section	yes	not needed
Single or double room	no	yes, with a hospital tariff
Treatment by the head physician	no	yes, with a hospital tariff
Extra ultrasound on request	no	partly, with an outpatient tariff
Professional teeth cleaning	mostly no	yes, with a dental tariff

Where supplementary insurance really helps

The clearest benefit is the room. After the birth you usually stay a few days, and a single room gives you quiet for feeding and sleeping. Paid out of pocket it costs on average between EUR 89 a night in Saxony-Anhalt and EUR 134 in the Saarland.

The second benefit concerns your child. If you have been insured for at least three months before the birth, you can add the newborn within two months at the same level of cover, without health questions and without a waiting period. This matters if your baby is born early or ill.

A dental tariff can also pay off, because gums are often more sensitive during pregnancy. A professional cleaning costs about EUR 80 to 120.

The limits, honestly

You only get a single room if one is free. On busy maternity wards that does not always work, and the insurer only pays what the hospital actually charges.

Head physician treatment counts for little in a normal birth. In the delivery room you will mostly have the midwife and the doctor on duty.

Many tariffs do not pay, or only partly pay, for your partner to stay in a family room. Ask before you rely on it.

Why timing decides

Insurers may set a waiting period of up to eight months for childbirth. If you sign once you are already pregnant, you are usually too late for this birth.

The application asks about an existing pregnancy, and the answer often leads to a refusal or an exclusion of this birth. If you plan a family, sign before you try to conceive.

If you are already pregnant, a contract can still make sense for later: for future hospital stays, a second child, and to meet the three-month rule for adding your baby.

If you are new to Germany or privately insured

Everything above applies to statutory insurance. If you have full private health insurance (PKV), the birth and the baby are handled inside that contract, and a supplementary tariff makes no sense.

If you have just arrived, check first which system you are in. Supplementary hospital tariffs are only available to people with statutory cover.

When you do not need it

If a shared room does not bother you, or you plan an outpatient birth, supplementary insurance adds little for the birth.

If you have savings and plan one child, paying for a single room for three or four nights is often cheaper than years of premiums. Do the maths.

Step by step

Decide what matters to you: room, choice of doctor, dental care or insuring the baby.
Sign ideally a year before you plan to become pregnant.
Answer the health questions fully and honestly.
Check the waiting period for childbirth and the rules for newborns in the terms.
Register your baby with the insurer within two months of the birth.
Ask for the single room as an optional service (Wahlleistung) when you are admitted.

Checklist

Waiting period for childbirth at most eight months and over before the due date
Newborn cover without health questions set out in the terms
Single or double room without a daily cap
Benefit valid at maternity clinics near you
Family room or partner stay checked
Premium still affordable during parental leave

Common mistakes

Signing during pregnancy and expecting cover for this birth
Leaving out a pregnancy in the health questions
Missing the two-month deadline to register the baby
Hoping for the head physician in the delivery room
Choosing a tariff that only pays a low daily rate for the room

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Can I take out supplementary insurance if I am already pregnant?

Often yes, but the current pregnancy and birth are usually excluded or the application is deferred. It can still pay off for later stays and another child.

Does statutory insurance pay for a caesarean?

Yes, a caesarean is a normal benefit, planned or as an emergency.

Do I have to pay for my partner in a family room?

Usually yes. Hospitals charge a daily rate and only a few tariffs cover it. Ask the hospital for the price in advance.

How do I insure my baby without health questions?

Register the baby within two months of the birth. The insurer may require you to have been insured for at least three months. The child gets at most your level of cover.

Does public insurance pay for extra ultrasound scans?

Only if a doctor considers them medically necessary. Scans on request you pay yourself or through an outpatient tariff.

Does a dental tariff make sense before pregnancy?

Often yes if you go for regular cleaning anyway. For dentures there is usually also a waiting period of eight months.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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