What does public health insurance cost for employees?

GKV contributions for employees follow a fairly clean formula. The base rate is around 14.6% of gross salary, split roughly evenly between employee and employer. On top of that, each insurer adds an individual Zusatzbeitrag — currently averaging in the area of 1.7% across the country, though it varies provider by provider.

Long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) adds another small share, with a surcharge for members aged 23+ who do not have children. All of this is calculated on gross salary up to an annual contribution ceiling (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze) — once you earn above that ceiling, the contribution stops growing.

The end result, for a typical employee, is a total contribution of around 16–17% of gross salary, with the employee paying roughly half on the payslip. The employer share is automatic and does not show up in your net-pay calculation. For high earners above the ceiling, GKV becomes proportionally cheaper as a share of total income — which is part of why PKV only really becomes a serious comparison once you are meaningfully above that threshold.

When comparing providers, the differences are mostly in the Zusatzbeitrag and a handful of benefit add-ons (alternative medicine, certain preventive checks, dental extras). The core medical coverage is nearly identical across the public funds. You can switch providers with notice once a year if you find a better fit.