Healthcare
Public versus private insurance, finding English-speaking doctors, dental care, and mental health support. The German healthcare system decoded for expats.
- Public Insurance (GKV)
- Private Insurance (PKV)
- Finding Doctors
- Mental Health
- Dental Care
Latest in Health
24 articles
Health Insurance Gaps on Arrival in Germany: How to Cover Them (2026)
Why you can be uninsured in your first weeks in Germany, the incoming insurance that bridges the gap, and how to avoid being caught without cover when it matters.
English-Speaking Therapy in Germany: How to Find It (2026)
Where to actually find English-speaking therapists in Germany, why they are scarce, the cost-reimbursement route to a private one, and online options that work.
A Hospital Stay in Germany: What to Expect (2026)
How a hospital stay works in Germany, the daily co-payment, what to bring, the private-room question, and how being admitted differs from an ER visit.
Children's Healthcare in Germany: Pediatricians and U-Examinations (2026)
How children's healthcare works in Germany, finding a Kinderarzt, the U-examination check-up schedule, what is covered, and what expat parents must arrange.
Living with a Chronic Illness in Germany: Coverage and Care (2026)
How German insurance covers ongoing conditions, the co-payment cap that protects you, disease-management programmes, and what to sort when you arrive with a condition.
Travel Health Insurance for Expats in Germany: When You Need It (2026)
When your German insurance covers you abroad, when it does not, why the EHIC is not enough, and the cheap travel cover that fills the gaps for expats.
Switching Health Insurance in Germany: How and When (2026)
How to switch between public health insurers in Germany, why the Zusatzbeitrag makes it worth it, the notice rules, and the easy process most people never bother with.
Specialist Wait Times in Germany: How to Get Seen Faster (2026)
Why getting a specialist appointment in Germany can take weeks or months, the 116117 service that is meant to help, and the tactics that genuinely shorten the wait.
Glasses and Opticians in Germany: What You Actually Pay (2026)
Why German public insurance barely covers glasses for adults, how an eye test at the optician works, real costs, and where to save on frames and lenses.
Physiotherapy in Germany: Prescriptions, Costs, and Booking (2026)
How to actually get physiotherapy in Germany, why you need a prescription first, the small co-payment, the booking scramble, and when you must start treatment.
The German Emergency Room (Notaufnahme): When and How to Use It (2026)
What counts as a real emergency in Germany, the difference between 112, 116117, and the Notaufnahme, and how to get urgent care without a costly mistake.
Private vs Public Patients at the German Doctor: The Real Difference (2026)
Why private patients get appointments faster in Germany, what actually differs in the waiting room, and whether being privately insured is worth it for care.
Private Health Insurance (PKV) for Freelancers in Germany (2026)
Why freelancers in Germany face the GKV-vs-PKV choice differently, how PKV premiums really work, and the trap of switching that you cannot easily undo.
Krankschreibung: The German Sick Note Rules (2026)
When you need a doctor's sick note in Germany, how the electronic eAU works now, how long you keep getting paid, and what to tell your employer.
Vaccinations and the Impfpass in Germany (2026)
How vaccinations work in Germany, why you need an Impfpass, what STIKO recommends, and how to get your foreign vaccination record recognised.
Pregnancy in Germany: Mutterschutz, Hebamme, and Care (2026)
How prenatal care works in Germany, what a Hebamme does, the Mutterschutz job protection, and the documents that decide your maternity benefits.
German Dental Care: The Bonusheft and What You Pay (2026)
Why German public insurance barely covers crowns, what the Bonusheft saves you, and when dental insurance (Zahnzusatz) is worth it.
Getting Therapy on German Public Insurance (GKV) (2026)
How to actually access therapy on German public health insurance, the waiting-list problem, the free trial sessions, and the routes around the queue.
The German Apotheke: How Pharmacies Work Here (2026)
Why you cannot buy painkillers in a German supermarket, what only an Apotheke can sell, how prescriptions work, and finding the night-duty pharmacy.
How to Find an English-Speaking Doctor in Germany (2026)
Where to actually find English-speaking doctors in Germany, how to filter for language, and what to do when the only available practice speaks only German.
TK vs Barmer vs AOK: The Krankenkasse Decision Nobody Helps You Make
TK costs 2.69%, Barmer 3.29%, AOK varies wildly by Bundesland. On a €5,000 salary, that's €30/month difference. The real divergence is in English support, mental health programs, and app quality.
How Nigerian Expats Enroll in German Health Insurance in Year One
TK and Barmer accept Nigerian applicants the fastest. The 8-week window between visa arrival and GKV enrollment. Family reunification cover, dependent rules, and what mental health access actually looks like.
GKV vs PKV: Which German Health Insurance Should You Choose?
The €77,400 income threshold, the family-coverage difference, the one-way door at age 55. A decision tree for choosing between public and private German health insurance as an expat, with real costs.
My Therapist Costs €5. My Dentist Sent Me a €340 Bill.
GKV pays for unlimited therapy at almost no cost and barely a third of a crown. The math is bizarre. Here is exactly what your public insurance covers, what it does not, and the booklet you should have stamped last year.