Don’t forget: the normal contribution rates are often not enough – many health insurance companies charge an additional contribution. In 2026, the additional contribution will be 2.9 percent on average.
For some health insurance companies the rate is significantly higher. Pensioners pay half of this additional contribution, which is calculated as a percentage of their statutory pension.
Important: All contributions are only levied up to the contribution assessment limit, which will be 66,150 euros in 2025.
How do retirees pay for health insurance?
Pensioners who are covered by pensioners’ health insurance, i.e. who are compulsorily insured, do not have to worry about paying the health insurance company. With them, the contributions are automatically transferred from the pension insurance to the health insurance – the pension payment amount is therefore reduced accordingly.
- Pension question: Will my accident pension be offset against the statutory pension?
The situation is different for those who are voluntarily insured. They have to pay their own health insurance contributions. Important: Voluntarily insured pensioners must therefore apply for a subsidy for half of the health insurance contributions from the pension insurance company. This subsidy is then paid out together with the pension.
When am I required to have health insurance in retirement?
All those who have applied for a pension and were in statutory health insurance for 90 percent of the second half of their working life are compulsorily insured in the pensioners’ health insurance. If this is not the case, three years are still taken into account per child – so that compulsory insurance can still apply.
Who can be exempt from compulsory health insurance?
It can happen that privately insured people also fulfill the previous insurance period for statutory health insurance – for example due to the number of children or because of the previous insurance period of a deceased spouse.
In such a case, the pension applicant receives the information that he or she has fulfilled the previous insurance periods for statutory health insurance and is therefore eligible for pensioners’ statutory health insurance. If you don’t want this, you have three months to exempt yourself from compulsory insurance and remain in private health insurance.
You can also be exempt from compulsory insurance if, for example, you are a former civil servant and are entitled to benefits. But be careful: such a step should always be carefully considered, as it is difficult for pensioners to re-enter the health insurance later.
