# Health insurance for German civil servants: insuring the share your employer does not pay > If you become a Beamter in Germany, your public employer reimburses a fixed percentage of your medical bills. This is called Beihilfe. You insure the remaining share yourself, usually with a private plan sold in percentages that match your Beihilfe rate. A supplement plan covers what the Beihilfe rules cut or cap. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-civil-servant-health-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-11 ## What health insurance do I need as a civil servant in Germany? One that matches your Beihilfe rate. For federal civil servants, Beihilfe pays 50 per cent of eligible costs while you are in service, and 70 per cent once you have two or more eligible children or retire. You insure the other 50 or 30 per cent privately. Each federal state has its own rules, and some rates differ. Staying in public insurance is allowed, but unless your state offers a flat-rate allowance you pay the full contribution with no employer share. ## At a glance - **Compulsory?:** Yes, the share without Beihilfe must be insured - **Federal Beihilfe rates:** 50 per cent in service, 70 per cent with two children and in retirement, spouses 70, children 80 per cent - **Federal states:** each has its own Beihilfe regulation, rates and benefits vary - **Admission window:** six months after appointment, even with health conditions, surcharge capped at 30 per cent - **Flat-rate allowance:** offered by some states instead of Beihilfe, the choice is binding ## How Beihilfe and the private plan fit together Beihilfe is not insurance. It is part of the duty of care your public employer owes you, and it reimburses a percentage of the costs that its regulation recognises as eligible. Under the federal regulation that is 50 per cent for civil servants in service, 70 per cent for pensioners and eligible spouses, and 80 per cent for children. With two or more eligible children your own rate rises to 70 per cent. The private plan is therefore bought as a percentage, not as full cover: 50, 30 or 20, depending on what Beihilfe leaves open. When your rate changes, the contract has to change with it. The rate that counts is the one on the day of treatment. In practice you pay the doctor, then send every invoice twice, once to the Beihilfe office and once to the insurer. ## Where Beihilfe leaves gaps, and what the supplement plan does Not everything on the invoice is eligible. The rules set ceilings, for example for therapies, glasses, and dental materials and laboratory work, and they recognise doctors' fees only up to certain multiples of the German fee schedule. Some states also deduct a yearly flat amount from your Beihilfe, graded by pay group, and not every state pays for a senior consultant and a two-bed room in hospital. The percentage plan usually follows Beihilfe: where Beihilfe cuts, the cut stays with you. The Beihilfeergänzungstarif, a separate supplement plan, picks up that difference as far as its terms name the item. Whether it requires Beihilfe to have paid something first, or also pays when Beihilfe refuses entirely, is written in the policy terms and is one of the main differences between insurers. ## Health conditions, the flat-rate allowance and moving from abroad A pre-existing condition does not lock you out. Under the industry's admission scheme, the Öffnungsaktion, participating insurers accept new civil servants and their eligible dependants within six months of appointment, with no refusal, no exclusions and a risk surcharge of at most 30 per cent. Since 2019 this also applies to trainees with civil servant status. Supplement plans are generally not part of the scheme, so normal health questions apply there. Several states, among them Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Brandenburg, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony, offer a flat-rate allowance as an alternative: the employer pays half the contribution to a full insurance, typically a public fund, and individual Beihilfe falls away. The choice normally cannot be reversed and does not carry over to an employer without this model. The federal government does not offer it. If you are appointed after years abroad, your treatment history from other countries belongs in the health questions too. ## What is covered - Outpatient treatment at the insured percentage - Medicines, therapies and medical aids under the plan's rules - Hospital treatment, depending on the plan with a one-bed or two-bed room and senior consultant - Dental treatment, dentures and orthodontics at the plan's reimbursement rates - Psychotherapy, in basic plans with a limit on sessions - Check-ups and vaccinations - In the supplement plan: costs left over after Beihilfe and the percentage plan - Compulsory private long-term care insurance, taken out alongside the plan ## What is not covered - The share Beihilfe pays: only the agreed percentage is insured - Cuts made by Beihilfe if you have no supplement plan - Treatment that is not medically necessary - Fees above the multiples of the fee schedule named in the plan - Conditions not disclosed in the application, which can lead to the insurer withdrawing - Treatment during waiting periods unless they are waived ## Who needs it - Civil servants with permanent or probationary status at federal, state or municipal level - Trainee civil servants and trainee teachers, who get special training plans - Retired civil servants, whose Beihilfe rate rises - Spouses and children who are eligible under the Beihilfe rules - Police officers and others with free medical care in service who need to secure later entry ## Who does not need it - Public sector employees without civil servant status: they have no Beihilfe and are insured like any other employee ## What it costs The premium does not depend on your salary. It depends on your age at entry, your health and the percentage you insure. Because only the share next to Beihilfe is insured, it is well below the price of full private cover. Every family member has a separate contract and premium. **What drives the premium:** - Insured percentage: 50, 30 or 20 per cent - Age when you join - Health status, surcharge, or entry through the admission scheme - Hospital extras and level of dental cover - Supplement plan as an additional module - Annual deductible and premium refund for claim-free years _We do not show example premiums because age, health and Beihilfe rate move them too much for a guide value to be useful. Your premium is fixed in the quote, after the health questions have been reviewed._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Basic percentage plan:** Outpatient, hospital and dental cover at Beihilfe level, shared room, no supplement plan. Meets the legal requirement but leaves every Beihilfe cut with you. - **With supplement plan:** Percentage plan plus supplement for therapies, glasses, dentures and fees above the eligible rates, with two-bed room and senior consultant. The usual choice for permanent civil servants. - **Comfort cover:** One-bed room, open list of medical aids, high dental benefits, a supplement that pays even when Beihilfe pays nothing, and worldwide cover with repatriation. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Reimbursement levels | 50 and 30 per cent available | all common levels, switch without health check when your rate changes | Your rate changes with children, retirement or a new employer, and the contract must follow. | | Supplement plan | not included or only for single items | separate supplement for outpatient, hospital and dental | Without it, every Beihilfe cut is your own cost. | | Prior Beihilfe payment | supplement pays only if Beihilfe paid something | also pays when Beihilfe refuses entirely | Items with no Beihilfe at all are the expensive gaps. | | Fee schedule | up to the maximum multiples | above them with a fee agreement | Beihilfe recognises fees only up to set multiples. | | Medical aids | closed list | open list | New technology is not on an old list. | | Hospital extras without Beihilfe | insured only where Beihilfe pays for them | room and consultant also in states with no Beihilfe for them | If you move state, you would otherwise lose them. | | Loss of Beihilfe | continuation not regulated | top-up to full cover without health check within a deadline | If you leave civil service you need 100 per cent at once. | ## Insurers on the German market Most German private health insurers offer Beihilfe plans, and some have their roots in the public service. The differences lie in the supplement plan, medical aids and the rules for trainees. This is a market overview, not a statement about which insurers we work with. - **Debeka**: mutual insurer with a focus on civil servants and its own sales force, does not work with brokers - **AXA**: sells its civil servant plans under the DBV brand, agents and brokers - **HUK-COBURG**: founded as a self-help organisation for civil servants, mainly direct sales - **Bayerische Beamtenkrankenkasse**: health insurer in the Versicherungskammer group, also sold through savings banks - **Signal Iduna**: mutual insurer, agents and brokers - **Barmenia**: part of Barmenia Gothaer group, agents and brokers - **Allianz**: health insurer of the Allianz group, agents and brokers - **Hallesche**: mutual insurer in the ALH group, broker distribution 42 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Krankenversicherer). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Varifocal glasses** (several hundred euros): Beihilfe limits visual aids tightly and the percentage plan usually follows. Only the supplement plan names its own amount for lenses and frames. - **Consultant in a state with no extras** (consultant fees on top of the hospital bill): Where the state's Beihilfe pays no hospital extras, a basic plan leaves all of it open. Strong plans insure room and consultant at 100 per cent. - **Dentures with high lab costs** (quickly four figures): Materials and laboratory work are eligible only up to a limit. A supplement reimburses the difference up to its own rate. - **Yearly deduction by the state** (flat amount graded by pay group): Basic plans do not know this item. Some supplement plans refund it, often up to a fixed amount. - **Flight home after an accident abroad** (five figures depending on distance): Beihilfe converts foreign costs to German levels and pays no repatriation. Good supplement plans include it. - **Regretting the flat-rate allowance** (full contribution, no way back): This is not an insured event. Once chosen, the flat-rate allowance normally cannot be swapped back for individual Beihilfe. ## Myth or truth - „Beihilfe always pays exactly half the bill." ✘ It pays your rate on the eligible part only. What the rules cut stays open, and the rate depends on family, status and employer. - „New civil servants with a health condition can still get private cover." ✔ Participating insurers accept them within six months of appointment, with a surcharge of at most 30 per cent and no exclusions. - „You can drop the flat-rate allowance later." ✘ The decision is normally irrevocable, and it only applies with employers that offer the model. - „The plan gets cheaper in retirement." ✔ At federal level the Beihilfe rate rises to 70 per cent, so only 30 per cent is insured once the contract is adjusted. - „Spouse and children are covered automatically." ✘ Each person needs a contract and premium of their own, and dependants get Beihilfe only if they are eligible. ## Common mistakes - Buying the percentage plan without a supplement and treating Beihilfe as full cover - Missing the six-month admission window after appointment - Choosing the flat-rate allowance without realising the decision is binding - Not adjusting the contract when the Beihilfe rate changes - Leaving out treatment received abroad in the health questions ## FAQ ### What is Beihilfe? A reimbursement of medical costs by the public employer. It covers a percentage of eligible costs for civil servants, their eligible spouses and children. It exists for Beamte, judges and similar groups, not for public sector employees on ordinary contracts. ### How much does Beihilfe pay? Each employer sets its own rules. For the federal government it is 50 per cent for civil servants in service, 70 per cent for pensioners and eligible spouses, and 80 per cent for children. With two or more eligible children your own rate is 70 per cent. States have their own regulations, so ask your Beihilfe office. ### What is the Öffnungsaktion? A commitment by participating insurers to accept new civil servants and eligible dependants within six months of appointment into Beihilfe plans, with no refusal, no exclusions and a surcharge of at most 30 per cent. Not every insurer takes part, and supplement plans are generally outside it. ### What is the flat-rate allowance (pauschale Beihilfe)? A subsidy from the employer towards the contribution for a full health insurance, in practice mostly a public fund, in place of individual Beihilfe. Only some states offer it, first Hamburg, and also Bremen, Berlin, Brandenburg, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony among others. The choice is normally final. ### Can I stay in public health insurance? Yes, as a voluntary member. Without the flat-rate allowance you pay the whole contribution yourself because there is no employer share, and Beihilfe adds little next to the benefits in kind of a public fund. ### What happens when I retire? The federal Beihilfe rate rises to 70 per cent. You reduce the plan to 30 per cent and the premium falls accordingly. Good terms allow the switch without a new health check if you apply in time. ### How are my spouse and children covered? Everyone needs a contract of their own, there is no free family cover in private insurance. Children get 80 per cent Beihilfe at federal level, so 20 per cent is insured. Spouses are eligible only while their income stays below a limit set by the employer. ### I am a police officer with free medical care. Do I need this? Free medical care (Heilfürsorge) applies only in active service, and whether you get it depends on the state. On retirement Beihilfe takes over and you need a percentage plan. Entitlement cover secures entry without a new health check. You need long-term care insurance of your own even before that. ### Is the policy available in English? Policy documents and terms are in German, and German law applies. We explain the terms to you in English and compare the points that matter before you sign. ## Legal basis and sources - [Insurance Contract Act (VVG, German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vvg_2008/) - [BaFin company database (licensed insurers)](https://portal.mvp.bafin.de/database/InstInfo/) ## Request quotes We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-civil-servant-health-insurance.php#anfrage --- Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.