Barmer – Your partner in health insurance

Yes. Barmer covers you for all medically necessary healthcare services and treatments. This includes healthcare at doctors, specialists, approved therapists, hospitals, basic dental care, prescription medication and more. If you need healthcare, there is always a service or treatment available to you. 

Yes. Your spouse and dependent children can be co-insured free of charge under certain preconditions. One precondition is that each co-insured family member does not earn over 485 euro a month (with minijob 520 euro). Age limits also apply to your children. You’ll also need to fill out an annual questionnaire to keep the family insurance active and inform us whenever the family’s situation changes. It’s best to contact Barmer directly for further information on family insurance so that we can advise you according to your family situation.

Yes. If you’re insured with Barmer, you’ll receive many additional benefits that are not normally provided under public health insurance. These include access to leading treatments, faster appointments with specialists, free medical advice via telephone as well as modern, digital apps and online services. For more information on how to get the most out of your health insurance, visit our webpage Barmer Benefits, call our English Service Hotline or visit us in person at a Barmer service point. We are always happy to assist you.

Healthy teeth are priceless. Barmer covers statutory costs for dental treatments and checkups, and offers you additional benefits.

If you wish to receive higher quality medical services, you must pay for them yourself. This applies, for example, to dental crowns made of precious metal or metal ceramics.

In the phase of preparation for prosthetics, please ask your dentist what additional services or materials you are willing to pay for yourself. Before starting the treatment, the dentist will prepare a plan according to which the treatment will take place and calculate its cost. We will provide you with information and decide on the amount of the fixed fee.

Barmer offers numerous services and programs to prevent diseases from developing, to detect them at an early stage or to prevent consequential health issues.

We offer numerous free screening examinations for the whole family. For example, the health checkup, early cancer detection or preventive dental care. Vaccinations offer you further protection - we cover the costs for most of them.

Yes, when the prescription is pink or yellow. Barmer covers all medication that doctors prescribe as medically necessary. Prescriptions come in the colours pink, blue, green and sometimes yellow. The colour determines who will pay for the medication and how long the prescription is valid. Pink prescriptions are covered by public health insurance and are mostly valid for 28 days. Yellow prescriptions are covered, too, but are only valid for 7 days. Green and blue prescriptions are not covered. In Germany, statutory co-payments between 5 and 10 euro per package are charged for medication on pink or yellow prescriptions.

Prescriptions and pharmacies in Germany

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Yes. Barmer covers the full costs for all officially recommended vaccinations in Germany. In addition, Barmer also reimburses 100% of the costs for travel vaccinations that are not normally covered under public health insurance. This way, you’ll have even more money to enjoy for your vacation. As a Barmer member, you can find out what travel vaccinations are recommended by calling our free Barmer Teledoktor on 0800 333 560.

Yes. Approved vaccinations against COVID-19 are currently free to all legal residents of Germany, regardless of the person’s insurance status. As a German resident, you are also entitled to one free rapid antigen test per week – and one free PCR test following a positive rapid antigen test result. Free tests are only available from approved test centres. Of course, the regulations regarding COVID-19 can change regularly, so it’s best to ask at your doctor or test centre about costs to be on the safe side.

Yes. You can receive psychotherapy easily and free of charge via your e-health card, but your therapist needs to be registered within the public health insurance system.

The Barmer Doctor Finder is a good place to start when looking for an approved psychotherapist in your area – especially one who speaks your preferred language.

On the website of the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians), you can also search for psychotherapists in your area. You can find all approved psychotherapists under the heading “Tipps zur Online-Arztsuche: So finden Sie Ihren Arzt oder Psychotherapeuten”. Please note that this website is only available in German.

You can also receive telephone support to find a psychotherapist by calling the special appointment service hotline of the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung. You can reach this service at the nationwide number 116117 or at www.116117.de. Agents on this special hotline will try to support you in English, but the menu choices given at the beginning of the call are only in German.

It only takes around 5 minutes to apply.

After you register your permanent address. Your new electronic health insurance card should arrive a few weeks after Barmer receives confirmation of your permanent address. If you don’t have an address, we can give you a temporary certificate to show the doctor, which works just like the e-health card.

It’s easy. We organize it for you. When you join Barmer, we will apply for your Social Security Number (Sozialversicherungsausweis) and send it to your postal address. So you don’t have to do anything.

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Your personal ID for medical services. The e-health card displays or stores all necessary information about your health insurance and emergency data – so that you can be treated easily and safely. At the doctor’s practice or hospital, the e-health card is scanned and all necessary medical services are billed directly to Barmer.

The electronic health insurance card

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Your personal online service centre. With the Barmer-App and Meine Barmer, you can easily manage your health insurance online – quickly and securely from wherever you are in the world. You can access the Meine Barmer online service centre directly from the Barmer website – or via the Barmer-App from a mobile device. As a registered user of our online service centre, you can:

• Fill out and download applications and certificates digitally
• Update personal data
• Receive reminder services for preventive medical checkups and vaccinations
• Use your personal online mailbox for secure, digital communication with us
• Submit sick notes and keep track of sickness benefit payments
• Stay informed about the processing status of your maternity pay
• Enjoy attractive online courses and apps for your health
• Access many other digital services and apps for Barmer members

Would you like to know more? Simply contact us for further support. 

At Barmer, the contribution rate for employees is currently 16.1%. This is a combination of the standard statutory contribution rate of 14.6% and the additional individual contribution rate of 1.5%. The contributions are shared 50/50 between employer and employee. In other words, you only pay 8.05% of your gross salary for the security and benefits of public health insurance.

For students in Germany, it’s not possible to get public health insurance alone – long-term care insurance is mandatory as well, and both contributions are combined. All students pay the same reduced rate for these insurances.

Students are required to pay a monthly contribution of €122.78 (under the age of 23) or €127.65 (from the age of 23). Students with children receive a reduction on their long-term care contribution rate of 0.25% per child (from two to five children under the age of 25).

Health insurance:	Long-term care insurance:	Additional individual contribution rate
€82.99	€27.61* respectively €32.48**	€12.18

* under the age of 23 without children
** from the age of 23 without children

Yes. Students under 30 years of age who study at a state-approved university or college in Germany are subject to mandatory public health insurance and long-term care insurance. In some cases, an exemption is possible, but you’ll need to think carefully about the consequences before making your decision. It’s always best to contact Barmer directly for further advice on this important topic.

Yes. As a student, you can work alongside your studies – but there are various restrictions. The underlying rule is that your main occupation remains that of a student.

Students from the EU/EEA can be employed alongside their studies – as either a “working student” (Werkstudent) or in a so-called “Mini-Job”. Working students can generally work up to 20 hours a week on average. It’s possible to work more than 20 hours a week during weekends and study breaks, but only for a maximum of 26 weeks per year. It doesn’t matter how much money you earn as a working student, as long as the time restrictions are maintained. If your work time exceeds these limits, your main occupation is no longer a student – and you’ll be insured as an employee.

When you start working alongside your studies, you’ll need to take out mandatory student health insurance with a German health insurance provider like Barmer. As soon as you plan to start your job, please contact us so that we can provide you with all the necessary documents.

Non-EU/EEA students can be employed alongside their studies – as either a “working student” (Werkstudent) or in a so-called “Mini-Job” – if the residence permit allows for this. When you apply for a residence permit, speak with the immigration authorities about working alongside your studies so you know exactly what work permits and time restrictions apply to you.

Yes. However, you will need a valid university work contract or a certificate of study or prior European public health insurance. If you are planning to come to Germany beforehand, you will need to obtain incoming travel health insurance. Your relocation company can provide assistance in this matter. Are you not sure if we can cover you? Call our English Service Hotline on 0800 333 0060* (and +49 202 568 333 0060* from abroad). Or write us an email.

It’s easy. The Barmer Doctor Finder helps you to find doctors anywhere in Germany.

No. As a Barmer member, you don’t need to pay anything when you visit a doctor who is registered within the public health insurance system. Everything that is medically necessary is billed directly to Barmer via your e-health card. If you choose an additional treatment that is not covered under public healthcare, some extra costs may arise, but your doctor will inform you in advance. This way, you can decide what is best for you. An example is dental fillings: A special high-end material may require an additional cost – but the standard quality material is always free. In some cases, however, small co-payments are required for healthcare services.

The electronic health insurance card

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Yes. You can visit some medical specialists without a referral – but in Germany, your GP, gynecologist, dentist or pediatrician are still the recommended first points of contact to coordinate all your future healthcare needs.

In most cases, yes. In Germany, a doctor will refer you for hospital treatment, but you are free to choose which public hospital you are treated in. In an emergency, paramedics will decide if you need to be treated at a hospital or not.

Call the practice. The doctor’s staff will advise you on the best time to visit. Some doctors’ practices in Germany have an open consultation time called a Sprechstunde, where you can visit the doctor without an appointment. However, most doctors work on an appointment only schedule. For your convenience, some doctors also offer appointments via an online booking system.

112. If you require first aid in the case of an emergency, you can reach paramedics, an ambulance or the fire brigade on the toll-free number 112 from everywhere in Europe. You can reach emergency police assistance on the number 110.