In Germany, you will be required to have health insurance once you start your studies. For many students, the question arises for the first time as to which type of health insurance they would like to choose. Depending on your age and the desired (additional) services, there are several options to choose from: You can either be included in your parents' family insurance, choose statutory health insurance (GKV) or private health insurance (PKV).
We will briefly summarize for you which health insurance makes the most sense for students and what the exact differences are.
Statutory health insurance (GKV)
Family insurance in the GKV for everyone under 25
If you have not yet reached the age of 25 and your parents have statutory health insurance, then you will (at the latest) be automatically included in your parents' family insurance policy when you start your studies and will be insured through them. As a rule, you will no longer have to pay any additional insurance contributions and you will receive the specific insurance benefits of your respective health insurance company.
Student tariff within statutory health insurance
If you are already over 25 years old or if the salary of your current or soon-to-be-started part-time or working student job is above the specific exemption limit of 450 euros, you can no longer be insured through your parents' family insurance.
Most statutory health insurance companies offer the option of a specific student tariff, which is a lot cheaper than the regular health insurance contribution, but does not differ in terms of the scope of services provided.
In general, the different health insurance companies within statutory health insurance differ little in their range of services. The main difference lies in the different premium costs of the respective health insurance companies.
Private health insurance (PKV)
It is also possible to join private health insurance as a student. In order to switch to a private health insurance company, you only have to apply for exemption from compulsory insurance within the first three months of starting your studies and then you can choose one of the various private health insurance companies.
One of the biggest advantages of private health insurance is not only that more comprehensive medical services can be put together according to personal needs, but also that significantly more costs are covered and reimbursed by the respective private health insurance company.
However, the costs vary greatly here too - depending on the scope of services - so it is worth taking a closer look at which services you would like to use.
So which health insurance company makes the most sense for you?
If family insurance applies under certain conditions, it is worth being insured through your parents, especially at the beginning and during your studies, as this means you do not have to pay any additional insurance contributions and save a lot of money.
However, if your salary during your studies is above the exemption limit and you would have to choose a student tariff from a statutory health insurance company, private health insurance could be worthwhile under certain conditions - depending on the benefits you want.
However, the question of choosing insurance becomes a lot more interesting once you have completed your studies and student health insurance no longer applies.
