Medical insurance with AOK (2024)

AOK makes it easy to take out insurance in Germany

• What are social insurance funds?

  Germany has five forms of statutory insurance that safeguard the fundamental needs of insured persons: medical insurance, accident insurance, nursing care insurance, pension insurance and unemployment insurance.

• How do I choose a medical insurance provider?

  When you choose a medical insurance provider, you should not base your decision solely on the amount of the monthly contribution. You should also take a look at what special services are available and how easy it will be for you to claim them.

• How do I take out coverage with a medical insurance provider?

  Once you’ve filled in your AOK membership application and received our reply, you should inform your employer. From that moment onward, your medical insurance contribution will generally be paid directly and conveniently out of your salary to the medical insurance provider.

• What protections do I have in the event of becoming unemployed?

  In Germany, employees and trainees are generally covered by statutory unemployment insurance, which is mandatory. The aim is to provide a material and social safeguard following the loss of a job or during an extended job search. This is financed by the contributions of employers and the insured. Further information on this topic is available here.

AOK – who we are

• How much do I have to contribute to statutory medical insurance in Germany?

  The amount of your medical insurance premium depends on your income – so someone with a high income will pay more than someone with a low income. Medical insurance contributions in Germany are made up of the general contribution rate of 14.6 per cent plus a supplementary contribution that is specific to the respective individual provider. The supplementary contribution varies between two and seven euros, depending on which regional AOK provider you are insured with. Since 2019, your employer has been legally obliged to meet 50 per cent of these costs, including those relating to the supplementary contribution.

• What should I do if I become ill?

  Once you’re an AOK member, you will receive a health insurance card. Just present this when availing yourself of medical treatment. Whether you're visiting a general practitioner in Germany, a specialist or a dentist, a hospital or a pharmacy, AOK will take care of the bill. At the most, you may have to pay a small additional sum yourself for certain services.

• How can AOK help me with chronic illnesses?

  If you suffer from a chronic illness, you’ll be covered when you switch to AOK. Treatment for this illness will continue as normal and you will continue to receive the medications you need. To continue your treatment here in Germany, just show your health insurance card to your doctor.

• When can I receive sickness benefit?

  Employed persons will continue to receive their pay during the first six weeks of them being unfit for work. To keep receiving your salary, however, you must of course report sick with your employer and obtain a sick note from your doctor. Likewise, those in receipt of unemployment benefit will, for the same period, continue to receive their payments from the Employment Agency. Your entitlement to sickness benefit is suspended during these six weeks: it will be paid to you from the seventh week onward. We can only pay sickness benefit if we have a certification from your doctor that you are unfit to work. If you are certified unfit for work, your doctor will forward this certification to your medical insurance provider electronically – this is known as the electronic certificate of incapacity (eAU). Your employer can then obtain the certificate of incapacity directly from the insurance provider. If electronic transmission is not possible, you will receive a paper printout from your doctor's surgery. You should submit this to your regional AOK provider immediately.

• How does outpatient care work with AOK Germany?

  Persons with AOK cover are free to choose their doctor and hospital for themselves. Furthermore, outpatient GP and specialist care is provided primarily by solo and group practices.

• How can I insure my children?

  In Germany, you do not have to take out separate medical insurance for your children if you're insured with AOK, because they are automatically covered via the free insurance for family members and will receive the same level of protection. You also won't need to pay separate contributions for them. Generally, your offspring are co-insured up to the end of their 18th year. And if your children are not working up to the end of their 23rd year, their co-insurance cover will even continue up to that point. If they’re still going to school or university, or in vocational training, the age limit is raised to 25. For all family members who would like to be included, income limits apply. The individual’s total monthly income may not exceed 470 euros. This also applies to children.

• What should I do if my child becomes ill?

  If your child is ill, you should consult your paediatrician. In Germany, you are entitled to time off work to care for sick children. To apply for this, you should submit to your regional AOK provider the so-called “child sickness certificate” that you have been given by your paediatrician.

• Can self-employed people be included in my family insurance cover?

  A full-time self-employed person cannot be included in family insurance cover. You can, however, be included if you are self-employed on a part-time basis and support yourself primarily through another stream of income arising from activity that does not count as self-employment. To qualify for this, you must not be spending more than 20 hours per week working on a self-employed basis.

• Am I covered outside Germany?

  In Europe, your AOK European Health Insurance Card makes it easy to obtain the medical services you need. Should you fall sick unexpectedly, AOK will, under certain specific conditions, cover your outpatient and inpatient healthcare throughout the EU as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Details can be found here. (Information on this website is in German)

• Whom should I approach in a medical emergency?

  To contact emergency services, call 112. In Germany, the time between receipt of your emergency call and the arrival of emergency medical personnel at the location of the emergency should not exceed eight to 17 minutes (in rural areas). This emergency assistance is paid for in full by your medical insurance provider. You will only have to make a small additional co-payment of five to ten euros. If you have medical issues that are not acutely life-threatening but you are unable to reach your GP, the general medical call-out service (phone number: 116 117) will provide you with medical assistance.

• Do I need to take out dental insurance cover with AOK?

  As your medical insurance provider in Germany, AOK pays the costs of your dental visits and medically necessary treatments including, for example, fillings, root canal treatments and surgical procedures. However, for preventative treatments or special treatments such as crowns, bridges or implants, you will have to meet at least part of the cost yourself.

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