Healthcare in Berlin
The city and the surrounding state is considered a leading health region in Europe and forms Germany's largest centre of medical activity. Expats will find a range of services available; from basic care to high-end medicine and from prevention to rehabilitation.Furthermore, Berlin has a rich history staked in scientific research and today, pharmaceutical brands, like Bayer, Pfizer and Berlin-chemie, have labs and production facilities in the area. Not to mention, more than 150 companies based in Berlin manufacture cutting-edge medical equipment like CT scanners, X-ray machines and laser machines.
As a result, local hospitals certainly appease international standards and in many cases set the precedent themselves. Expats with a specific concern will be relieved to find that in Berlin there are numerous hospitals available for specialised treatment.
The Charité Hospital has an exemplary reputation, as does the Max Delbrück Centrum and the German Heart Centre. Sankt Gertrauden Hospital is well known for its focus as an ENT and Breast Centre; Waldfriede Hospital for its gynaecology, obstetrics, pelvic floor surgery and diabetology; and the Westend Klinik of the German Red Cross for paediatric urolopaediatric neurology and radial therapy.
Public and private healthcare in Berlin
As in greater Germany, healthcare in Berlin is part of a universal system financed by national health insurance and schools.
Expats in Germany will either need to enrol in state health insurance (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung), known as sickness funds, or in private insurance (Private Krankenversicherung). Medical care can be expensive, thus its vital expats choose one of the other.
If you are an expat employed in Germany and you earn less than €4,000 per month you are a mandatory member of the public system and you and your employer will split the cost of the monthly premium; usually equating to roughly 10% of salary.Under the public system, individuals can visit any physician they like. Waiting lists are unheard of, and bad service is kept to a minimum.
Expats who earn more than this have the option of opting for private health insurance; schemes differ among service providers and in order to find the plan that best suits your needs and priorities it may be necessary to get the advice of a broker or professional advisor.
It should be noted that the public health insurance may not cover certain services, like private hospital rooms or dental insurance, thus expats will certainly want to consider investigating private options.
Self-employed or unemployed individuals will need to organise a private insurance scheme.
