What's the cheapest private health insurance in Germany?

There is no single cheapest tariff: the price depends on your age, health, deductible and cover. As a guide, our calculator puts a Standard tariff for a healthy 30-year-old without deductible at about €480 a month gross, roughly €240 after the employer share. A deductible lowers that further. We compare the whole market for your profile.

Not automatically. Premiums rise over time at every insurer, and how much depends on the tariff and the insurer. A slightly higher entry price with better cover can be the better deal long-term, so we look at how an insurer's premiums have developed, not just today's price. If quality matters more than the entry price, start with the best private health insurance by profile.

It depends on the system. Public health insurance is a percentage of your gross salary: 14.6% plus an average Zusatzbeitrag of 2.9% (Federal Ministry of Health), plus long-term care. Income only counts up to €5,812.50 a month, so the maximum is about €1,230 to €1,260 a month in total, roughly half paid by your employer. Private health insurance ignores your salary and prices your age, health and cover: for a healthy 30-year-old our calculator estimates about €480 a month in a Standard tariff, about €240 after the employer share.

For a healthy 30-year-old without deductible, our calculator estimates about €480 (Standard), €640 (Plus) and €730 (Premium) gross per month in 2026. Employees get half paid by their employer, up to the statutory cap. Our cost guide breaks down every factor.

For high earners, usually yes. At the 2026 income ceiling public insurance costs €1,230 to €1,260 a month in total including long-term care, with your employer covering roughly half, so about €650 comes out of your salary. A Standard private tariff at 30 costs about €480 in total, about €240 after the employer share. How it develops over the years depends on the tariff, which is why we compare both options for your situation.

In public health insurance, yes: your contribution rises with every pay rise until you reach the contribution ceiling of €5,812.50 a month in 2026. In private health insurance, no: your salary is not part of the price, so a raise never lifts your premium. Your employer still pays up to half, capped at what they would pay for you as a public member.

Employees earning above €77,400 gross per year in 2026 (Federal Ministry of Health), most self-employed people regardless of income, and civil servants. For the self-employed we usually recommend private cover from around €40,000 a year. Below the threshold, employees stay in public health insurance. Our eligibility check tells you in two minutes.

For a high-earning single, private cover is usually cheaper than public insurance from the start: public contributions rise with income up to the ceiling, about €650 a month as your own share in 2026, while a private premium depends on your age and cover instead. Which tariff stays the best value long-term depends on the insurer, so we compare the options for you.

There is no income threshold, and you pay the full premium yourself. For a healthy 30-year-old our calculator estimates about €480 to €730 a month without deductible, depending on the cover level, and more at older entry ages. A higher deductible lowers the premium, and the basic-cover portion is tax-deductible. Public insurance would charge you the full 17.5% plus long-term care on your income, over €1,000 a month above about €60,000 of profit.

It depends on the tariff: a higher annual deductible lowers the premium, and in a year with few doctor visits you often come out ahead. Note for employees: your employer shares the premium, not the deductible, so a moderate deductible is usually the sweet spot.

Almost never. Insurers work from a health questionnaire covering roughly the last 3 to 10 years of treatment; a medical exam is only requested in individual cases. Pre-existing conditions can mean a surcharge or an exclusion rather than a rejection. We run an anonymous pre-check with several insurers first, so nothing lands on your record before we know the answer.

Each child gets its own policy, typically about €110 to €165 a month depending on the cover level, and the employer share can extend to children. In public insurance children are covered free of charge, so with two or more children the public route can still win on price. For families we calculate both before recommending anything.

They rise over time, but the aging reserves you build from day one are designed to cushion later increases. You can also switch to a cheaper tariff at the same insurer at any time under § 204 VVG, and from 60 the statutory premium relief kicks in.

Yes. Every private insurer must offer the Basistarif, a regulated tariff with benefits comparable to public health insurance and a premium capped at the maximum public contribution. Few people choose it on purpose, but it limits the worst case. Before that, switching to a cheaper tariff at your own insurer under § 204 VVG is usually the better lever.

Only in specific situations: as an employee whose salary drops below the threshold, or through a job that is subject to compulsory public insurance, and only while you are under 55. After 55 the door is effectively closed. That is why we treat private cover as a long-term decision and only recommend it when the 30-year picture works, not just the entry price.

While you receive unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld I) you normally become publicly insured again. If you were privately insured for the previous five years you can apply for an exemption and stay private, and the employment agency then pays a subsidy towards your premium up to the amount it would pay into public insurance.

You can cancel when you move abroad, and many insurers offer a dormant policy (Anwartschaft) for a small monthly amount that freezes your entry age and health status. If you return, you pick up where you left off without a new health check. Some tariffs also cover temporary stays abroad in full.