PKV Knowledge Base

Expert guides on German private health insurance for English-speaking expats, freelancers, and professionals.

203
Articles
12
Topics
2026
Updated
Coverage
PKV and Gender-Affirming Care: How Cover Is Assessed

How private health insurance in Germany assesses gender-affirming care — the medical-necessity standard, prior approval, provider questions and disclosure.

Providers
HanseMerkur vs Ottonova: Established Insurer Meets Digital Challenger

A comparison of HanseMerkur and Ottonova private health insurance — traditional strength versus a digital-first experience, and who each approach suits.

Retirement
PKV When You Keep Working Beyond 65

How private health insurance works when you keep working beyond 65 — the continuing employer subsidy, pension interactions and the levers that keep premiums manageable.

Providers
Continentale vs DKV: Value Mutual Meets Health Specialist

A comparison of Continentale and DKV private health insurance — the mutual value approach versus the large health specialist, and which member each fits.

Coverage
Wahlleistungen: Hospital Choice Benefits and the Contract You Sign

How hospital choice benefits (Wahlleistungen) work in Germany — the chief-physician and single-room options, the separate agreement you sign, and how PKV pays.

Eligibility
PKV for Company Founders: Getting the First Year Right

How company founders should approach private health insurance in the first year — the freedom to choose PKV, the missing employer subsidy, and managing uneven income.

Mental Health
PKV and Addiction Treatment: What Private Cover Provides

How private health insurance in Germany covers addiction treatment — medically necessary detox, rehabilitation and therapy — and the tariff and disclosure factors involved.

PKV Guide
Reading a PKV Angebot: How to Compare Two Private Quotes Properly

How to read a German private health insurance quote (Angebot) and compare two offers fairly — beyond the headline premium to benefits, reserves and long-run cost.

Expats
Health Insurance for Seasonal and Hospitality Workers in Germany

How health insurance works for seasonal and hospitality workers in Germany — statutory cover for most, the income-threshold reality, and when PKV makes sense.

Providers
Württembergische vs Nürnberger: Two Regional-Rooted PKV Insurers

A comparison of Württembergische and Nürnberger private health insurance — tariff positioning, benefit depth and the member profile each suits.

Eligibility
PKV During a Sabbatical or Unpaid Leave

What happens to private health insurance during a sabbatical or period of unpaid leave — continued cover, the loss of the employer subsidy, and cost-management options.

PKV Guide
How PKV Advisers Are Paid: Commission vs Fee-Based Advice

How private health insurance advisers are paid in Germany — the commission model versus fee-based Honorarberatung — and what each means for the advice you receive.