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Which supplementary health insurance is worth it in Germany?

In short

If you are in public health insurance, start with travel health insurance for around EUR 10 to 30 a year and supplementary dental cover for about EUR 15 to 40 a month. Supplementary hospital cover makes sense if you value a chief physician and a two-bed room. A hospital daily allowance and glasses-only tariffs are usually not needed.

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Which supplementary health insurance is worth it in Germany?

What it costs

Monthly premiums for adults from publicly quoted tariff examples, 2026.

Example	Typical range
Travel health insurance, single person	from about EUR 9 a year
Dental, good tariff, age 31 to 40	about EUR 20 to 30 a month
Dental, good tariff, age 41 to 50	about EUR 30 to 45 a month
Hospital two-bed room, good tariff, age 32	from about EUR 31 a month
Outpatient with glasses and alternative practitioner	from about EUR 5 to 10 a month

Guide values as of September 2026, from publicly quoted tariff examples. Your premium depends on age, health and cover; we obtain the exact quote after your health details.

Worked example

Employee, 35, healthy, flies home twice a year

She wants to close the big gaps without paying for small things.

Travel health insurance	about EUR 15 a year
Dental with 90 percent for crowns and implants	about EUR 25 a month, EUR 300 a year
Hospital two-bed room and chief physician	about EUR 31 a month, EUR 372 a year
Glasses tariff	left out, she pays for glasses herself

With dental and travel cover she pays around EUR 315 a year. A single implant with EUR 2,500 of her own share would then be largely covered. She only adds the hospital module if chief physician and room are worth around EUR 370 a year to her.

The add-ons at a glance

Supplementary health insurance (Krankenzusatzversicherung) fills gaps where statutory health insurance (GKV) pays little or nothing. You do not buy all-round cover but individual modules, and each one suits different people.

A simple rule: insure large bills that would really hurt. Small amounts like new glasses every two years are better paid from your own pocket.

Add-on	For whom	Our view
Travel health	everyone who travels abroad	almost always worth it
Dental	anyone who wants implants or high-quality crowns	often worth it
Hospital	anyone who wants chief physician, choice of hospital and two-bed room	worth it with a clear wish
Outpatient, alternative practitioner, glasses	regular users of naturopathy	only with a fixed need
Sick pay (Krankentagegeld)	self-employed people and high earners	worth it if there is an income gap
Hospital daily allowance	hardly anyone	usually not needed

Dental: the biggest gap in public insurance

For crowns, bridges and dentures the fund pays a fixed subsidy (Festzuschuss) of 60 percent of the standard treatment, 70 or 75 percent with a complete bonus booklet (Bonusheft). Newcomers have no booklet history and start at 60 percent. For implants or ceramics you quickly face a share of several thousand euros.

Good tariffs reimburse 80 to 100 percent but cap payouts in the first years. Treatment already recommended or under way is not covered, so sign before your first check-up in Germany.

Hospital: comfort and choice of doctor

Public insurance pays for a shared room and the doctor on duty. Supplementary cover pays for the chief physician or a specialist up to 3.5 times the rate of the medical fee schedule (GOÄ) and for a two-bed or single room.

If you only want a quieter room, you can often pay for it yourself. A two-bed room costs around EUR 65 a day on average.

Travel cover for trips home

Public insurance pays abroad only within the EU and in countries with a social security agreement, and only what the local public system would pay. It never pays for a medical flight back. Travel health insurance closes this gap for little money.

If you regularly visit family outside the EU, read how the policy treats trips to your country of citizenship or former residence. Some tariffs limit the length of each trip or treat your home country differently.

What you usually do not need

A hospital daily allowance pays a fixed amount per day in hospital. It does not protect your income and pays for no treatment. Most people can manage the public co-payment of EUR 10 a day, at most 28 days a year, themselves.

Several small contracts side by side rarely pay off either. A well-chosen dental tariff and travel cover deal with the biggest risks.

What matters when you sign

Almost every tariff asks health questions, including about treatment in your home country. If you sign young and healthy, you pay less and are accepted for sure. Tariffs with ageing reserves cost more at first but rise less in old age.

Note that many insurers may cancel supplementary contracts in the first three years without giving a reason. Read this clause before you sign.

Step by step

Check what your fund already pays, such as teeth cleaning or travel vaccinations.
Insure the risks with large bills first: travel abroad and dentures.
Decide whether chief physician and two-bed room are worth the premium to you.
Answer the health questions honestly and completely, including treatment abroad.
Compare waiting periods, limits in the first years and the insurer's right to cancel.

Checklist

Travel cover including medical flight home
Trips to your home country covered
Dentures with at least 80 percent reimbursement including the public subsidy
Limits in the first years known
Hospital: doctors' fees up to 3.5 times the GOÄ rate
No contract for small sums you can pay yourself

Common mistakes

Signing only after the dentist has already recommended treatment
Answering health questions loosely and getting nothing later
Taking a hospital daily allowance for income protection
Collecting many small tariffs that cost more than they pay out

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Which supplementary cover do I really need?

Travel health insurance almost always. After that, dental cover is the next sensible step for most people.

Is supplementary cover through my public fund a good deal?

Funds often offer discounts of up to 10 percent through partner insurers. Still compare benefits and price with other tariffs.

Is there supplementary cover without health questions?

A few tariffs, usually with longer waiting periods, lower benefits or higher premiums. Ongoing treatment is excluded anyway.

At what age should I sign?

The earlier, the cheaper and the easier the acceptance. Many hospital tariffs only accept new customers up to about 65.

Are my children covered by my policy?

No. Children need their own contract, often there are cheap child tariffs, for example for orthodontics.

Can I cancel when I leave Germany?

Yes, usually with three months' notice to the end of the insurance year. You do not need to prove follow-up cover for supplementary contracts.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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