Doctors, insurance and emergencies in Berlin

Statutory versus private

Health insurance is compulsory, and most employees are in the statutory system (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) with contributions taken as a percentage of gross salary up to an income ceiling and shared with the employer. Above an income threshold, and for most self-employed people, private cover (private Krankenversicherung) is an option; it buys faster appointments and more choice, but it is priced on age and health and returning to the statutory system later is difficult. Family members without their own income are covered free under statutory insurance and individually priced under private.

• Statutory funds — TK, AOK, Barmer and others — offer near-identical core cover.
• Contributions are a fixed percentage of gross pay plus a fund-specific supplement, capped by an income ceiling.
• Non-working spouses and children are covered at no extra cost in the statutory system.

Finding a doctor

You register with a Hausarzt for general care and can also go directly to many specialists, but appointment waits differ sharply between statutory and private patients, and Berlin practices routinely close their lists. Ask when booking whether the practice takes new Kassenpatienten. Bring an English or German summary of any ongoing condition and your medication list, because a German doctor will start from their own assessment rather than continue a foreign prescription unseen.

• The elektronische Gesundheitskarte is the insurance card you present at every visit.
• 116117 is the on-call medical service for evenings, weekends and non-emergencies.
• Specialist referrals (Überweisung) are not always required but often smooth the booking.

Emergencies and out of hours

112 is the emergency number for ambulance and fire. Hospital emergency departments (Notaufnahme) triage, so a minor problem can wait for hours, and 116117 will usually direct you to an on-call practice instead. Pharmacies run an overnight rota (Notdienst) posted in the window of the closed ones, and a night service charge applies.

Costs beyond the premium

Statutory cover is comprehensive for treatment but leaves gaps that surprise people: dental work beyond basic care, glasses, and many preventive extras are partly or wholly self-paid. Practices also offer IGeL services — additional tests and treatments not covered by statutory insurance and paid privately — which you are entitled to decline. Supplementary dental and hospital policies are cheap and widely held for exactly this reason.