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Is supplementary insurance for chief physician treatment worth it?

In short

Is supplementary insurance for chief physician treatment worth it in Germany? Yes, if you want to pick a specialist for serious or planned operations and take out the policy while young. A tariff with chief physician and two-bed room costs about EUR 31 to 39 a month at 30 to 32. For a single operation, paying the chief physician yourself is often cheaper.

Is supplementary insurance for chief physician treatment worth it?

What it costs

Monthly premiums for tariffs with chief physician and two-bed room from published tariff examples, plus doctor fees under the GOÄ.

ExampleTypical range
Age 30 to 32, with ageing reservesabout EUR 31 to 39 a month
Age 50 to 52, with ageing reservesabout EUR 49 to 58 a month
From age 21, without ageing reservesfrom about EUR 10 to 17 a month, rising with age
Chief physician ward round paid yourself, 2.3 to 3.5 times after reductionabout EUR 7 to 11 per round
Chief physician for an operation paid yourselfseveral hundred to more than EUR 1,000

Premiums as of January to September 2026 from publicly quoted tariff examples.

The ward round fee is calculated from GOÄ points and point value,

the operation costs are example figures from a health insurer.

The ten-year example is a guide value from our quoting practice; we obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Age 32, one planned operation with ten days in hospital

Ten years of insurance against paying yourself for a single stay.

Premium EUR 31 × 12 monthsEUR 372 a year
Premiums over ten yearsEUR 3,720
Chief physician for the operation, paid yourselfseveral hundred to more than EUR 1,000
10 chief physician ward rounds at 3.5 times, reducedabout EUR 107
Anaesthesia, radiology, lab as elective doctorsextra, depending on the operation

For a single operation, paying yourself is usually cheaper. The insurance pays off with several or serious stays and if you take it out young and keep it into old age.

What the chief physician costs if you pay yourself

With statutory health insurance (GKV) you can book chief physician treatment (Chefarztbehandlung) without any top-up. You sign an agreement on elective services (Wahlleistungsvereinbarung) with the hospital and pay the bills yourself. The doctor charges under the GOÄ: points times a point value of 5.82873 cents, multiplied by a factor between 1.0 and 3.5.

For inpatient treatment the bill must be reduced by 25 percent. A hospital ward round (item 45, 70 points) then costs about EUR 7 to 11. The operation itself is what gets expensive: example figures from a health insurer show several hundred to more than EUR 1,000 extra for the chief physician.

Ward round, GOÄ item 45Feeafter 25 percent reduction
1.0 times the rateEUR 4.08EUR 3.06
2.3 times, the standard caseEUR 9.38EUR 7.04
3.5 times, only with reasonsEUR 14.28EUR 10.71

The bill rarely comes alone

Under § 17 (3) of the Hospital Remuneration Act (KHEntgG), an agreement on elective medical services extends to all employed or civil servant doctors involved in your treatment and to services they order. Besides the surgeon, anaesthesia, radiology and the lab often send their own bills.

This is where the insurance helps: it pays the whole chain, good tariffs up to 3.5 times the GOÄ rate. If you pay yourself, ask beforehand which specialties are likely to be involved.

Your rights as a private patient in hospital

Elective services must be agreed in writing before treatment, and the hospital must tell you about the fees and what you get in advance. Nothing can be charged retroactively.

The chief physician has to provide the core service personally. On 13 March 2025 the Federal Court of Justice (BGH, III ZR 40/24) declared void an agreement that let a deputy take over without special conditions. A deputy is only allowed if named in the agreement and if the chief physician is unexpectedly unavailable. You can cancel the agreement at any time without notice.

When the top-up pays off

The value lies in serious or planned operations such as spine, heart, cancer or joint replacement. You can then pick the doctor who does exactly this procedure most often, also in another hospital or city.

The entry age matters. With ageing reserves (Alterungsrückstellungen) the premium does not rise because you get older, and if you are healthy you are accepted without surcharges. If you start at 50 with pre-existing conditions, you pay more or are turned down. The health questions cover treatment in your home country too.

When you do not need it

For a single operation the chief physician bill is often lower than ten years of premiums. If you rarely go to hospital and trust the team on duty, paying yourself when it happens is usually cheaper.

A title alone says little. For a routine operation, experience with exactly that procedure counts, not the position in the hospital. Ask who does the operation and how often before you agree to it. If you plan to leave Germany within a few years, the cover is rarely worth it.

With or without ageing reserves

Tariffs without reserves start at about EUR 10 to 17 a month from age 21. They get more expensive with every age band, exactly when you are most likely to need them.

Tariffs with reserves cost more at the start but stay more stable over the years. If you want to keep the cover into retirement, choose this kind.

A new fee schedule is on the way

The German Medical Association and the association of private health insurers presented a revised draft of a new GOÄ on 31 July 2026. The Ministry of Health is preparing a draft regulation, and the associations consider 1 January 2028 achievable. Until then the current GOÄ applies, and the examples on this page remain valid.

Step by step

  1. Decide whether you care about the doctor or only about the room.
  2. Compare tariffs with and without ageing reserves over 20 years, not just the starting premium.
  3. Check that the tariff pays up to 3.5 times the GOÄ rate and lets you choose any hospital.
  4. Answer the health questions completely, including treatment abroad.
  5. Before an operation, read the elective services agreement and check that any deputy is named.

Checklist

  • Free choice of chief physician or specialist, also in other hospitals
  • Reimbursement up to 3.5 times the GOÄ rate
  • Ageing reserves if you want to keep the policy for long
  • Cover for the whole chain of elective doctors
  • Elective services agreement signed in writing before treatment
  • Chief physician's deputy named in the agreement

Common mistakes

  • Choosing a tariff without reserves and being surprised by the premium at 55
  • Leaving out pre-existing conditions or treatment in your home country
  • Signing an agreement that lets any senior doctor stand in
  • Assuming only the surgeon will bill you and forgetting the chain of doctors

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Can the chief physician send a deputy?

Only a deputy named in the agreement and only if the chief physician is unexpectedly unavailable.

If the absence is known in advance, you can expressly agree to a deputy,

choose another elective doctor, postpone the date or opt out.

Can I get the chief physician without insurance?

Yes.

You sign an elective services agreement before treatment and pay the bills under the GOÄ yourself,

reduced by 25 percent.

Can I cancel the elective services agreement?

Yes, at any time without notice.

You then only pay for elective services up to the cancellation.

What is the most the chief physician may charge?

Usually up to 2.3 times the rate, with written reasons up to 3.5 times.

Lower limits apply to X-rays and physical therapy.

Will the new GOÄ change my contract?

Not until it takes effect.

The associations aim for 1 January 2028.

Make sure your tariff pays according to whichever fee schedule is in force.

Is insurance only for the two-bed room enough?

For the room alone, insurance rarely pays.

You can often pay the surcharge yourself more cheaply.

The real value is the choice of doctor.

Sources

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