PKV Blog
Expert guides on private health insurance in Germany, written for expats by an independent broker.
Health insurance for expats in Germany: what you need, from visa to first job
What expats need for health insurance in Germany: cover for the residence permit, public or private for the first job, family, health history from home, the first weeks and leaving again.
Is private health insurance worth it for families in Germany?
Family health insurance in Germany 2026: what GKV's free family cover really saves you, when PKV is the better call, and what the mixed-system parent rule does to your children's free cover.
Private Health Insurance in Germany: PKV Decision Guide
How private health insurance works in Germany: who qualifies, how premiums are set, what happens as you age, and how switching works. The decision guide, not a sales page.
Is it too late to get private health insurance at 40?
Joining private health insurance in Germany at 40: what it costs against public cover, what a move to Germany changes, tariff switches after joining and children after 40.
Private or public health insurance on a six-figure salary: which costs you less?
What an employee on a six-figure salary in Germany pays for public and private health insurance: singles at 30 and 40, a couple on one income and a family of four.
What Does Private Health Insurance Cover in Pregnancy and Birth?
What private health insurance in Germany pays for in pregnancy and birth: check-ups, midwife, hospital or home birth, the waiting period and your newborn's cover.
What Changes in German Health Insurance in 2027
In 2027 public health insurance costs high earners more, the income needed to go private jumps to €84,150, and childless members are set to pay more for care. The key figures.
Is private health insurance worth it in Germany?
Private cover works out for freelancers, employees over the income threshold and civil servants, each for a different reason. What decides how big the advantage is, and when we advise against it.
Can I switch back from private to public health insurance in Germany?
Three legal routes lead back into the public system, and from 55 most of them close. Here is which one applies to you, and what you can change inside your contract if none of them do.
How much does health insurance cost in Germany?
What health insurance really costs in Germany in 2026: six households compared, private premiums by age, the employer share, family costs and the mistakes in most comparisons.
Health Insurance in Germany for Americans (2026)
What actually changes for Americans moving to Germany: how the two systems differ from a US plan, which one you are allowed to join, and what an insurer asks for when you have just arrived.
Who Can Get Private Health Insurance in Germany? (2026)
Who may choose private cover in Germany, and who may not: the income threshold for employees, the exceptions for the self-employed and civil servants, and what the switch actually involves.
Does a Rejected PKV Application Go on a Record?
The fear that a declined private health insurance application lands in a national register is mostly a misconception. Here is what the HIS actually is, and why the pre-inquiry still matters.
Health Insurance for the EU Blue Card in Germany (2026)
An EU Blue Card requires you to be insured, but it does not decide which system you enter. That is set by a different, higher salary threshold, and the two are constantly confused.
Kindernachversicherung: Insuring a Newborn in PKV (2026)
German law gives your newborn a guaranteed place in your private policy with no health check, no surcharges and no waiting periods. It expires two months after the birth, with no exceptions.
Maternity Pay in Germany With Private Health Insurance
What privately insured women actually receive during maternity leave in Germany, why the €210 figure is so often misread, and the one decision that has to be made before conception.
Self-Employed in Germany: The GKV Back-Payment Trap
Why so many newly self-employed people in Germany get a five-figure GKV bill a year in, how the provisional-contribution mechanism works, and how to keep it from happening to you.
PKV for Doctors in Germany: The Two Versorgungswerk Gaps
Doctors in Germany default to PKV plus a Versorgungswerk pension. Two structural gaps follow: no DRV health-insurance subsidy in retirement, and no DRV occupational-disability cover.
PKV Health Check for Expats: How the Gesundheitsprüfung Works
Applying for PKV means a written health questionnaire, not a medical exam. Here is what it asks, how pre-existing conditions are priced, and how the anonymous pre-check protects you.
Germany's 2026 Health Reform (GKV-BStabG): What the Law Changes
Germany's 2026 health reform is law. From 2027 the income threshold for private cover rises to €84,150, public contributions rise for high earners, and from 2028 most non-earning spouses pay.
Will PKV Be Too Expensive When You Retire?
Two statutory mechanics drop your PKV premium at retirement, plus BET and the DRV-Zuschuss as additional levers. Here is how they stack, and how GKV compares.
Why Is My PKV Premium Going Up, and What Can I Do?
Why PKV premiums go up, why they rise in jumps, and what to do when the letter arrives: a new tariff with your insurer or a move to another insurer.
How GKV Calculates Your Premium (and What It Means for You)
Inside the percentage that runs your GKV bill: the rates, the BBG cap, the Höchstbeitrag trap, and what each one means for you in 2026.
