# Hospital cash insurance: a fixed sum for every day you spend in hospital > Hospital cash insurance, Krankenhaustagegeld in German, pays an agreed amount for each day of inpatient treatment. You do not have to show receipts or explain how you spend it. It does not replace your income and it does not upgrade your treatment, so it is worth knowing what it is for before you buy it. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-hospital-cash-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-05 ## Do I need hospital cash insurance in Germany? For most people in German public health insurance it is not a priority. The co-payment for a hospital stay is 10 euros a day for at most 28 days a year, so no more than 280 euros. If you want to protect your income, you need sick pay insurance (Krankentagegeld). If you want a senior consultant and a private room, you need hospital top-up cover. Hospital cash makes sense as a small extra for the side costs of a longer stay, such as childcare or family travel. ## At a glance - **Mandatory?:** No - **What it pays:** a fixed amount per day of inpatient treatment, to spend as you like - **Public insurance co-payment:** €10 per hospital day, for at most 28 days per calendar year (§ 39 (4) SGB V) - **Waiting period under the model terms:** three months, eight for childbirth, no general waiting period after an accident - **Can the insurer cancel?:** only in the first three policy years (§ 206 (2) VVG), never if held alongside full private health cover ## Hospital cash, sick pay and hospital top-up: three different products In German the names sound almost identical, which causes a lot of confusion. Krankenhaustagegeld, hospital cash, pays only for days when you are admitted as an inpatient. Whether you lose income during that time does not matter. Krankentagegeld, sick pay insurance, replaces income while a doctor certifies you unable to work, at home as well. Hospital top-up cover (Krankenhauszusatzversicherung) pays for better treatment itself: a senior consultant, a single or twin room, free choice of hospital. Each one closes a different gap. ## What a hospital stay costs you in Germany Adults in public health insurance pay a co-payment of 10 euros per hospital day, capped at 28 days per calendar year. Several stays in one year are added together. If the statutory accident insurance pays for the stay, for example after an accident at work, there is no co-payment. According to the Federal Statistical Office, a hospital stay lasts about seven days on average. With a daily benefit of 30 euros that adds up to roughly 210 euros. That covers the co-payment, parking and a few trips for your family, but not lost income or a private room. The German consumer magazine Finanztest considers hospital cash insurance unnecessary and warns against confusing it with sick pay insurance. A fair way to rank it: first insure the risks that could ruin you, then think about hospital cash. ## When it can still be useful A small daily benefit can help if a hospital stay causes costs at home that no insurer covers: childcare, a stand-in carer for a relative, long journeys for visitors, someone to look after pets. People with a chronic condition often get the policy only with exclusions or not at all. Some hospital top-up plans and full private health plans pay a replacement daily benefit if you do not use the senior consultant or private room. That is part of those plans, not a separate policy, so check your existing cover first. ## Waiting periods, health questions and cancellation Under the model terms of the German private health insurers, a general waiting period of three months applies, waived for accidents. Childbirth, psychotherapy and dental treatment wait eight months. If you submit a medical report with your application, the insurer can waive the waiting periods. The insurer may cancel a standalone hospital cash policy only during the first three policy years. If it is held alongside full private health insurance, ordinary cancellation by the insurer is ruled out. You can cancel at the end of any policy year. ## What is covered - A fixed daily amount for every day of medically necessary inpatient treatment - Stays caused by illness or by an accident - Childbirth in hospital once the waiting period has passed - Free use of the money, no receipts needed - Depending on the plan, payments during rehabilitation after surgery - Depending on the plan, a lump sum for outpatient surgery instead of an inpatient stay - Depending on the plan, a higher rate after accidents or for stays abroad ## What is not covered - Lost income while you recover at home - Outpatient treatment, unless the plan has a replacement benefit - Stays during the waiting period - Spa treatments and sanatoriums, unless expressly included - Known conditions excluded when you signed up - Care home placement without hospital treatment ## Who needs it - Parents who would have to pay for childcare during a hospital stay - People caring for a relative who would need a paid stand-in - Anyone living far from the nearest large hospital - People who already have sick pay and disability cover and want to cushion side costs ## Who does not need it - Anyone without sick pay or disability insurance yet: those risks are much bigger - Anyone who can easily pay 280 euros a year in co-payments from savings - People whose accident insurance already includes hospital cash and who only worry about accidents ## What it costs The premium depends mainly on the daily amount and your age when you sign up. Like German private health insurance, most plans build ageing reserves, so starting younger is cheaper, though premiums can still rise. **What drives the premium:** - Daily amount - Age when you sign up - Health status and any surcharges or exclusions - Benefits for rehab, outpatient surgery and stays abroad - Pricing with or without ageing reserves - Combination with hospital top-up cover _We do not show example premiums because age, daily amount and the health questions move the price too much. Your premium is fixed in the quote._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Covering the co-payment:** A small daily amount of 10 to 20 euros, just enough for the co-payment and small extras. Cheap, but of limited use. - **Cushioning side costs:** A daily amount of 30 to 50 euros with payments during rehab and for outpatient surgery. The sensible choice for families and carers. - **Combined with hospital top-up:** Hospital cash as an add-on next to senior consultant and twin room cover, often with a replacement benefit if you skip those extras. Here the hospital cover matters most. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Daily amount | fixed amount for inpatient days only | freely chosen, with an option to increase without new health questions | After a diagnosis it is hard to raise the amount later. | | Waiting period | three months, eight for childbirth | waived after a medical check or when switching insurer | Planned operations would otherwise fall into the uncovered period. | | Rehabilitation | no payment | daily amount continues during rehab | Hip, knee or heart surgery is often followed by weeks of rehab. | | Outpatient surgery | no payment | a lump sum of several daily amounts | More and more operations are done as outpatient procedures. | | Stays abroad | Europe only or short trips only | worldwide, no limit on trip length | An accident on holiday often means a hospital abroad. | | Psychiatric and psychosomatic treatment | excluded or limited | treated like any other stay | Inpatient mental health treatment usually lasts much longer than average. | | Maximum duration | limited number of days per year | no time limit | A long illness is when you need the money most. | ## Insurers on the German market Hospital cash insurance is sold by the German private health insurers, as a standalone plan for people in public insurance, as part of hospital top-up cover or alongside full private cover. This list is a market overview, not a statement about who we work with. - **DKV**: health insurer of ERGO Group - **ERGO**: part of Munich Re, also sold directly online - **Allianz**: agents and brokers - **Barmenia**: insurer based in Wuppertal, agents and brokers - **HanseMerkur**: Hamburg insurer with many supplementary plans - **Signal Iduna**: mutual insurer, agents and brokers - **Continentale**: mutual insurer based in Dortmund - **ARAG**: part of the ARAG group in Düsseldorf - **Gothaer**: Cologne insurer, agents and brokers 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 - **Appendix out, four days in hospital** (€40 co-payment plus travel and parking): A textbook case: short stay, small side costs. Every plan pays four daily amounts. - **Knee surgery, then three weeks of rehab** (rehab and side costs over a month): Basic plans pay only for the days in the acute hospital. Strong plans keep paying during rehab. - **Meniscus repaired as outpatient** (no co-payment, but days at home needing help): Without an overnight stay, a pure inpatient plan pays nothing. Some plans pay a lump sum of a few daily amounts. - **Broken leg on holiday in Spain** (local hospital, repatriation, side costs): Many plans pay in Europe, strong ones worldwide. Treatment costs abroad are only covered by travel health insurance. - **Six weeks off sick at home** (lost income after employer pay ends): No hospital stay, no hospital cash. Income during illness is what sick pay insurance is for. - **Eight weeks of inpatient therapy** (long absence, care needed at home): Psychiatric and psychosomatic stays are often limited in basic plans, and psychotherapy usually has an eight month waiting period. ## Myth or truth - „Hospital cash protects my income when I am ill." ✘ Wrong. It only pays for days in hospital. If you recover at home, it pays nothing. Income is protected by sick pay insurance. - „The German hospital co-payment is capped at 280 euros a year." ✔ True. It is 10 euros a day for at most 28 days per calendar year, and several stays are added together. - „I can spend the daily amount on anything I like." ✔ True. The insurer pays the agreed sum per day without asking what costs you actually had. - „With hospital cash I automatically get a twin room." ✘ Wrong. Room and senior consultant are paid only by hospital top-up cover. The cash could help pay a room surcharge, but rarely covers it. - „Hospital cash in accident insurance also pays after a heart attack." ✘ Wrong. In accident insurance it only pays if an accident caused the stay. Illness is not covered there. ## Common mistakes - Buying hospital cash and believing your income is now protected - Choosing a high daily amount before sick pay and disability cover are sorted - Answering health questions loosely because the policy seems small - Overlooking that hospital cash in accident insurance does not pay for illness - Not reporting the admission promptly and not keeping the hospital's confirmation ## FAQ ### What is the difference between Krankenhaustagegeld and Krankentagegeld? Krankenhaustagegeld pays only for days in hospital, regardless of income. Krankentagegeld replaces income while you are certified unable to work, even at home. For the self-employed and higher earners, Krankentagegeld is the more important policy. ### How is it different from hospital top-up insurance? Hospital top-up insurance pays the hospital and doctors for better treatment and accommodation, such as a senior consultant and a twin room. Hospital cash pays money to you and does not change your treatment. ### How much is the hospital co-payment in Germany? Adults in public health insurance pay 10 euros per hospital day for at most 28 days per calendar year, so up to 280 euros. If statutory accident insurance pays for the stay, there is no co-payment. ### When does hospital cash start paying? From the first day of an inpatient admission once the waiting period has ended. Under the model terms that is three months, eight for childbirth, and no general waiting period after an accident. ### Does it pay for childbirth? Yes, if you give birth as an inpatient and the special waiting period, usually eight months, has passed. If you are already pregnant, a new policy will generally not cover that birth. ### Does it cover stays abroad? That depends on the plan. Many pay in Europe or worldwide for temporary stays, some pay more abroad. Treatment costs abroad are a matter for travel health insurance. ### Can I get it as an expat in Germany? Usually yes, if you live in Germany and have German health insurance, public or private. Insurers ask about your health and may exclude existing conditions. ### Can the insurer cancel my policy? Only in the first three policy years and only at the end of a policy year. After that, ordinary cancellation is ruled out. If the policy runs alongside full private health insurance, the insurer cannot cancel it in the ordinary way at all. ## 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-hospital-cash-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.