How much will public health insurance cost in 2027?

For 2027, the contribution ceiling is projected to rise to roughly €76,500 per year, about €6,375 per month, and the maximum monthly contribution is expected to pass €1,300, with long term care on top. As an employee you pay half and your employer pays the rest. The figures are projections pending the values confirmed in autumn 2026.

Why is public health insurance getting more expensive?

Two things rise at once in 2027: the contribution ceiling that caps the income you pay on, and the additional contribution insurers set. Both sit inside the public health insurance contribution stabilization act, which aims to cover the system's deficits by collecting more from higher earners.

Does my employer still pay half in 2027?

Yes. For employees, the employer continues to cover half of the health contribution, so your own share rises with the ceiling but is not the full amount. The self employed have no employer subsidy and carry the contribution themselves.

Is private health insurance cheaper than public in 2027?

It can be, but it depends on your age, health, and cover. As public contributions climb past €1,300 per month, the gap with private narrows and sometimes reverses for younger, healthy earners. Private premiums change over decades though, so compare the long term, not just year one. See our [cost of private health insurance](/advice/private-health-insurance-germany-cost) guide.

Can I lower my public health insurance contribution?

Partly, yes. The general rate is fixed, but the additional contribution varies by insurer, so switching to a leaner provider can save real money while keeping you in the public system. Our roundup of the [best public health insurers](/best-public-health-insurance-germany) shows how they compare.

Public Health Insurance 2027: What Higher Earners Pay

Germany's public health system is about to cost its higher earners noticeably more. From 2027, the income on which public health insurance contributions are calculated is set to rise sharply, and the maximum monthly contribution is expected to climb above €1,300 for the first time. If you are an international professional currently in the public system, here is exactly what is changing, why, and how to work out what it means for your monthly budget.

Read the full guide: Private health insurance in Germany

How public contributions are calculated, in plain terms

Public health insurance in Germany does not charge a flat premium. Instead, you pay a percentage of your gross salary, shared between you and your employer. The headline rate is made up of two parts: a general rate of 14.6 percent set nationally, plus an additional contribution, the Zusatzbeitrag, which each insurer sets for itself.

Crucially, this percentage only applies up to a cap called the contribution ceiling, known in German as the Beitragsbemessungsgrenze. Earn above the ceiling and the income beyond it is ignored for contribution purposes. That is why the ceiling, not just the rate, decides what high earners actually pay. Our overview of Public health insurance in Germany walks through the basics if you are new to the system.

What changes in 2027

Two things move at once, and both push contributions up.

First, the contribution ceiling rises. For 2026 it sits at €69,750 per year, or €5,812.50 per month. For 2027, current plans lift it to roughly €76,500 per year, about €6,375 per month. That means more of a high earner's salary now falls inside the contribution band.

Second, the additional contribution set by insurers has been trending upward as the public system comes under financial pressure. As both the ceiling and the average rate climb together, the maximum monthly contribution for a higher earner is expected to pass €1,300 per month in 2027, with the long term care contribution stacked on top of that.

Why both levers are moving

The increases sit inside a wider reform package, the public health insurance contribution rate stabilization act, which the federal cabinet has approved. The goal is to shore up the finances of the public system, which has been running large deficits. Lifting the ceiling brings in more from those best able to pay, while the rising additional contribution closes the gap between what the system spends and what it collects.

For most employees on average salaries, the change is modest, because their income sits well below the ceiling. The people who feel it are those earning at or above the ceiling, where every increase in the cap translates directly into a higher bill.

2026 versus 2027 at a glance

Figure	2026	2027 (projected)
Contribution ceiling, per year	€69,750	about €76,500
Contribution ceiling, per month	€5,812.50	about €6,375
Maximum monthly contribution, roughly	about €1,200	above €1,300
Your share	half, employer pays the rest	half, employer pays the rest

The 2027 figures are projections based on current draft legislation and forecast wage growth. Final values are confirmed in the autumn before the year begins.

Who feels the increase most

If your salary is near or above the ceiling, you are already paying close to the maximum, so the 2027 rise lands squarely on you. As an employee, your employer still covers half of the health contribution, which softens the blow, but your own share rises in step with the ceiling. For families, there is a counterweight worth remembering: public health insurance covers a non earning spouse and children at no extra premium, which private cover does not. Our comparison of public versus private health insurance sets out where each system wins.

What this means next to private cover

Here is the part many higher earners miss. As public contributions rise toward and past €1,300 per month, the gap with private cover narrows, and for some it flips. Private premiums are based on your age, health, and chosen cover rather than your salary, so a healthy professional in their thirties can sometimes secure broader cover for a similar or lower monthly cost. The catch is that private premiums change over a lifetime, so the comparison has to look decades ahead, not just at year one. Our guide to the cost of private health insurance puts real numbers side by side.

This is not a reason to rush. Public cover has genuine strengths, including family coverage and the ability to switch insurers easily. But if your contribution is about to top €1,300 a month, it is at least worth checking whether that money buys you more elsewhere.

Should you compare your options for 2027?

The honest answer depends on your salary, age, health, and family situation, which is exactly why a quick conversation beats a calculator. An independent broker can model your 2027 public contribution against realistic private quotes and tell you plainly whether switching makes sense or whether staying public is the better call. If you do want to explore private cover, eligibility still hinges on the separate income threshold, which is also rising in 2027.

If you would rather stay public but pay less, you still have a lever: the additional contribution varies by insurer, so moving to a leaner provider can save you real money. Our roundup of the best public health insurers in Germany shows how they compare.

What to do now

Find your current monthly contribution on your latest payslip, and check how close your salary is to the 2026 ceiling of €5,812.50 per month.
Estimate your 2027 contribution using the higher ceiling of roughly €6,375 per month if your salary clears it.
Compare insurers' additional contributions if you are staying public, since this is the one part you can influence.
Get a private quote for context if your contribution is nearing the maximum, so you are deciding with real numbers rather than assumptions.

Rising public contributions are not a reason to panic, but 2027 is a sensible moment to check that you are in the right system at the right price. Book a free consultation and we will compare your public and private options with you, by phone, with no pressure and no jargon.