Statutory health insurance (GKV) only covers the most essential services, but this is often not enough. Additional services have to be paid for out of pocket. However, there is private supplementary health insurance that allows you to access the full range of modern medicine, which the GKV either does not subsidise at all or only subsidises in part.
STATIONÄR (supplementary hospital insurance) gives you, as the insured person, the status of a private patient, which ensures the best possible hospital care thanks to a wide range of private services. It provides a smoother recovery process as well as the opportunity to protect yourself and your loved ones from co-payments.
What does supplementary hospital insurance include?
Services
Contents
✓ Free choice of clinic among those operating under the GKV system.
✓ Accommodation in a single or twin room (depending on the tariff).
✓ Daily allowance in the absence of a room matching the insurance tier.
✓ Free second medical opinion.
✓ Private treatment, for example with the chief physician or a specialist.
✓ Pre- and post-hospital treatment.
✓ Follow-up treatment, daily allowances for rehabilitation.
✓ Additional treatment in mixed-type medical facilities.
✓ Covering additional costs for general hospital services and mandatory
statutory co-payments (€10 for each day in hospital, maximum 28 days in a calendar year — up to €280; from 1 January 2027, €15 a day, up to €420).
✓ Ensuring patient transport when necessary, as well as covering transport costs upon admission to hospital.
✓ Payment for the hospital stay of accompanying persons.
✓ Organisation of childcare.
✓ Reimbursement of the cost of private medical services or outpatient operations if they replace inpatient treatment.
What the Krankenkasse (statutory health insurer) covers and what you will have to pay extra for
The statutory Krankenkasse (GKV) pays for the necessary treatment, surgery and stay in a general ward — usually with 3 to 6 beds, with an attending physician according to the department’s schedule. Everything that goes beyond this scope is classified by law as additional services (Wahlleistungen): a single or double room, treatment by the head physician. These are paid for by the patient themselves or through supplementary insurance.
Furthermore, every insured person over the age of 18 pays a mandatory co-payment (Zuzahlung) — 10 euros for each day in hospital, maximum 28 days in a calendar year. That is up to 280 euros a year, and it has to be paid regardless of income. From 1 January 2027 the co-payment rises to 15 euros a day, or up to 420 euros a year (GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz, the 2026 statutory health insurance reform). The legal basis is § 39 Abs. 4 and § 61 SGB V.
You may be exempt from co-payments if your expenses exceed the co-payment cap (Belastungsgrenze): 2 % of the family’s annual gross income, or 1 % for those with chronic illnesses (§ 62 SGB V). For an annual income of 30,000 euros, the cap is 600 euros. Children and young people under the age of 18 are exempt from co-payments, except for transport costs.
How much hospital comfort costs if you pay out of pocket
Clinics calculate additional services separately from the GKV tariff. Based on the 2026 market, a double room costs €40 to €80 a day, single — €100–200 a day, in large cities closer to the upper limit. Treatment by the chief physician is billed according to the GOÄ medical tariff, and the bill for a complex case easily runs into thousands of euros.
Example: a week in a single room is €700–1,400 for the room alone, plus €70 in mandatory extra charges (from 1 January 2027: €105). By way of comparison: the contribution for the Stationär tariff for a 35-year-old is around €22–24 a month, which is roughly €270 a year. It is also worth looking separately at accident insurance: it covers the consequences of injury outside the hospital.
Package comparison: Stationär
All calculations are made for the age of 35, prices as of July 2026.
- 1-2 beds
- Private treatment
- is reimbursed
- is reimbursed
- up to €250
- reimbursed by prior agreement or in acute cases
- €100 a day, up to 21 days
- under 16 years of age
- €25 for refusal of a single or double room; €25 for refusal of private treatment
- is reimbursed
- 1-2 beds
- Private treatment: 100% with GKV, 60% without GKV
- no
- Before: up to 3 days out of 5. After: up to 7 days out of 14
- transfer to another hospital if treatment will last at least 7 more days (arranged via Allianz)
- reimbursed by agreement or in acute cases (one hospital within a 20km radius)
- no
- up to 10 years old
- €25 for refusal of a single or double room; €25 for refusal of private treatment
- is reimbursed
MedKlinik Single Room S
- 1-2 beds
- Private treatment
- no (except the co-payment for transport)
- before and after: up to 7 days out of 14
- once, transfer to a hospital at least 50 km away
- reimbursed by prior agreement or in acute cases
- no
- up to 12 years old
- €50 for refusal of treatment in a single or twin room; €50 for refusal of private treatment; under 20 years of age – 50%
- is reimbursed
KlinikPRIVAT Premium
- 1-2 beds
- Private treatment
- is reimbursed
- Before: up to 3 days out of 5. After: up to 7 days out of 14
- up to €250
- reimbursed by prior agreement or in acute cases
- €50 a day for 28 days
- under 16 years of age
- €15 if a single or double room is refused; €25 if private treatment is refused
- is reimbursed
KlinikTOP1pur
- twin room; single room: €45 per day deducted without EKH 45
- Private treatment
- is reimbursed
- Before: up to 3 days out of 5. After: up to 7 days out of 14
- up to €250
- reimbursed by prior agreement or in acute cases
- no
- under 18 years of age
- €15 if a single or double room is refused; €25 if private treatment is refused
- is reimbursed
KHB02+AOPKH02
MedKlinik Single Room S
KlinikTOP1pur
KlinikPRIVAT Premium
- 1-2 beds
- 1-2 beds
- 1-2 beds
- twin room; single room: €45 per day deducted without EKH 45
- 1-2 beds
- Private treatment
- Private treatment: 100% with GKV, 60% without GKV
- Private treatment
- Private treatment
- Private treatment
- is reimbursed
- no
- no (except the co-payment for transport)
- is reimbursed
- is reimbursed
- is reimbursed
- Before: up to 3 days out of 5. After: up to 7 days out of 14
- before and after: up to 7 days out of 14
- Before: up to 3 days out of 5. After: up to 7 days out of 14
- Before: up to 3 days out of 5. After: up to 7 days out of 14
- up to €250
- transfer to another hospital if treatment will last at least 7 more days (arranged via Allianz)
- once, transfer to a hospital at least 50 km away
- up to €250
- up to €250
- reimbursed by prior agreement or in acute cases
- reimbursed by agreement or in acute cases (one hospital within a 20km radius)
- reimbursed by prior agreement or in acute cases
- reimbursed by prior agreement or in acute cases
- reimbursed by prior agreement or in acute cases
- €100 a day, up to 21 days
- no
- no
- no
- €50 a day for 28 days
- under 16 years of age
- up to 10 years old
- up to 12 years old
- under 18 years of age
- under 16 years of age
- €25 for refusal of a single or double room; €25 for refusal of private treatment
- €25 for refusal of a single or double room; €25 for refusal of private treatment
- €50 for refusal of treatment in a single or twin room; €50 for refusal of private treatment; under 20 years of age – 50%
- €15 if a single or double room is refused; €25 if private treatment is refused
- €15 if a single or double room is refused; €25 if private treatment is refused
- is reimbursed
- is reimbursed
- is reimbursed
- is reimbursed
- is reimbursed
* after GKV
Better hospital conditions only in the event of emergency admission - Krankenhaus Unfall
Improved inpatient accommodation conditions upon emergency hospitalisation — single or double room, daily rehabilitation allowance, a parent accompanying a child, treatment by the head physician, etc. for a minimal monthly premium of 3-5 € (calculated for age 35).
Comprehensive supplementary health insurance package: Ambulant, Sehen, Stationär
Today, there are over 50 insurance companies on the market. The service packages they offer are very diverse. These packages can be put together and varied in terms of both content and price.
The market leaders in medical insurance are Allianz, Barmenia, Signal Iduna and others. For comparison, we have selected several supplementary health insurance packages with an optimal combination of price and range of services.
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 33,00 €
supplementary vision insurance
- 12,90 €
supplementary hospital insurance
- 23,29 €
- 3 months for naturopathy and medicines, 2 years for eye surgery
- Ambulant, Stationär - every 10 years; Sehhilfe - no change after the age of 21
Total cost of the package
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 19,08 €
supplementary vision insurance
- Included in Ambulant
supplementary hospital insurance
- 56,42 €
- 3 months (except for an accident)
- Remains the same
Total cost of the package
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 54,04 €
supplementary vision insurance
- Included in Ambulant
supplementary hospital insurance
- 22,61 €
- V100+483 – 3 months (except for accidents) MedKlinik 1-BettS no
- MedKlinik 1-Bett S – rises at 16, 21, 31 and 45 (from 45: €60.41); 483, V100 – no
Total cost of the package
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 30,90 €
supplementary vision insurance
- Included in Ambulant
supplementary hospital insurance
- 22,50 €
- no
- Every 10 years (if you choose the plan with no price increases with age – the price will be around €76 a month)
Total cost of the package
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 41,55 €
supplementary vision insurance
- Included in Ambulant
supplementary hospital insurance
- 23,97 €
- no
- Changes when you turn 20
Total cost of the package
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 33,00 €
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 19,08 €
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 54,04 €
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 30,90 €
supplementary outpatient health insurance
- 41,55 €
supplementary vision insurance
- 12,90 €
supplementary vision insurance
- Included in Ambulant
supplementary vision insurance
- Included in Ambulant
supplementary vision insurance
- Included in Ambulant
supplementary vision insurance
- Included in Ambulant
supplementary hospital insurance
- 23,29 €
supplementary hospital insurance
- 56,42 €
supplementary hospital insurance
- 22,61 €
supplementary hospital insurance
- 22,50 €
supplementary hospital insurance
- 23,97 €
- 3 months for naturopathy and medicines, 2 years for eye surgery
- 3 months (except for an accident)
- V100+483 – 3 months (except for accidents) MedKlinik 1-BettS no
- no
- no
- Ambulant, Stationär - every 10 years; Sehhilfe - no change after the age of 21
- Remains the same
- MedKlinik 1-Bett S – rises at 16, 21, 31 and 45 (from 45: €60.41); 483, V100 – no
- Every 10 years (if you choose the plan with no price increases with age – the price will be around €76 a month)
- Changes when you turn 20
Total cost of the package
Total cost of the package
Total cost of the package
Hospital Reform 2026: what’s changing for patients
The Hospital Care Reform Act (KHVVG) has been in force since 2025, and on 6 March 2026 the Bundestag passed the KHAG amendment act. Hospitals no longer receive funding solely based on the number of cases treated, but also for their preparedness to provide care in their assigned service groups (Leistungsgruppen), of which there are 61. The transition is phased over time, with the full effect expected by 2030, and a restructuring fund of up to 50 billion euros has been set up, 29 billion of it from the federal budget.
For patients, this means specialisation. Complex operations are concentrated in clinics with the necessary equipment and expertise, whilst smaller hospitals are losing some of their specialist services. The nearest clinic will not always be the one that performs the required procedure, so in practice, the free choice of clinic throughout Germany is becoming more valuable than before.
When to apply: waiting periods and health questions
Most tariffs have a waiting period (Wartezeit) — usually three months — during which the insurance does not cover planned treatment. In the event of an accident, cover is effective immediately. Some of the tariffs in our comparison are available with no waiting period at all — this is indicated in the table.
When taking out a policy, the insurer asks questions about your health (Gesundheitsprüfung). Pre-existing conditions may result in a premium surcharge, the exclusion of a specific diagnosis from cover, or the policy being declined. Any surgery known about at the time of application is not covered.
The premium depends on your age at the time the policy is taken out, and for some tariffs it increases in stages — for example, every 10 years. Therefore, a policy taken out at the age of 30 is significantly cheaper than the same policy taken out at 50. If you are considering switching entirely to private insurance, compare the terms and conditions with private health insurance (PKV).
Frequently asked questions about hospital insurance
What is Krankenhauszusatzversicherung (supplementary hospital insurance)?
This is supplementary insurance on top of the state scheme, which grants you the status of a private patient in hospital: a single or twin room, treatment by the chief physician or a specialist in the relevant field, free choice of clinic, and cover for compulsory additional charges.
How much does hospital insurance cost in Germany?
For a 35-year-old, the single room tariff costs approximately €22–24 per month. The full package, including the outpatient block and vision insurance, ranges from €53 to €77 per month. The prices in our tables are calculated for July 2026 for the age of 35.
How much do you have to pay extra for hospital treatment with standard insurance?
10 euros for each day of stay, a maximum of 28 days in a calendar year — that is up to 280 euros per year (§ 39 SGB V). From 1 January 2027 it is 15 euros a day, up to 420 euros per year. Children and adolescents under 18 years of age are exempt from charges.
How can I be exempted from co-payments?
Under Section 62 of SGB V, you can be exempted if the co-payments for the year have exceeded 2 % of the family’s annual gross income, or 1 % in the case of chronically ill patients. The application must be submitted to your Krankenkasse; you must keep your receipts for the co-payments.
What are the benefits of being treated by the chief physician?
The operation and post-operative care are carried out by the head of the department or a specialist in the relevant field, rather than by the doctor on duty according to the rota. Without supplementary insurance, this service is charged at the GOÄ medical tariff via a separate invoice issued in the patient’s name.
Is there a waiting period after taking out the policy?
Generally, 3 months for planned treatment. In the event of an accident, insurance applies immediately. Some tariffs are arranged without a waiting period — this is indicated in the comparison table.
Will I be accepted with a chronic condition?
The insurance company asks health-related questions. A premium surcharge, the exclusion of a specific diagnosis from coverage, or a refusal to offer a contract are all possible. The earlier you take out the contract and the healthier you are at that point, the better the terms.
Does the contribution increase with age?
It depends on the tariff: for some, the contribution increases in steps, for example every 10 years, while for others it remains stable thanks to old-age reserves. This is indicated separately for each company in the comparison table.
Is this insurance valid abroad?
Where the cover applies depends on the tariff: with Barmenia and Allianz, throughout Europe; with Signal Iduna, abroad in the event of acute illness or an accident. For trips abroad, separate travel insurance is still required (Auslandsreisekrankenversicherung).
Can you insure against the risk of an accident only?
Yes, the Krankenhaus Unfall tariff provides improved hospital conditions only for emergency admission following an accident. The contribution is 3 to 5 euros per month when calculated for a 35-year-old.
Have you any questions or are you ready to apply?
Fill in the form and we will contact you for a consultation and to discuss the next steps.
