Insurance in Germany

Germany has a state run health insurance program providing almost full medical coverage, with one of the best health care systems in the world. It is available to almost everyone in Germany upon receipt of a card with a computer chip. Drawbacks include the high cost of treatment which can still be quite expensive for the patient, making health insurance an absolute necessity, and in fact it became legally mandatory for everyone living in Germany, including the nation's 200 thousand uninsured in 2007.

The doctor bills the German state insurance system directly, but there is still a payable 10 euro fee for visits that can be reimbursed by supplementary private insurance. However, only a few people who make a certain amount of income are allowed to get private health insurance in Germany, while the majority of people may not get private insurance and are legally required to have only state health insurance. Some German private physicians exclusively require private insurance for treatment.

Having both state and private dental health insurance can now provide patients with fairly good coverage for dentist visits in Germany. Nationals from most European countries can also be treated in Germany with European Health Insurance Cards.