Today's words · 🩺 Health insurance & GP
German health insurance in 10 words
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A letter from your health insurer is much less scary once you know a handful of words.
Getting health insurance is one of the first things you do after moving to Germany. Then come the letters full of Krankenkasse, Krankenversicherung and gesetzlich, and your head starts to spin. At the practice someone asks, “Haben Sie eine Überweisung?” — do they want a bank transfer?
Today's ten words explain how insurance and the GP system work. With them, insurer letters and the reception desk get a lot easier. 🩺
📋 The ten words at a glance
- die Krankenkasse — health insurance (fund)
- die Krankenversicherung — health insurance
- die Versichertenkarte — health insurance card
- der Hausarzt — family doctor, GP
- die Überweisung — bank transfer; (doctor's) referral
- der Facharzt — specialist (doctor), consultant
- die Praxis — (doctor's) practice, surgery; practice (vs theory)
- die Zuzahlung — co-payment, additional payment
- die Vorsorgeuntersuchung — (preventive) check-up, screening
- gesetzlich — legal, statutory
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Krankenkasse
[KRANK-en-kass-uh]health insurance (fund)(Pl. die Krankenkassen)
📌 Die Krankenkasse übernimmt die Kosten für die Behandlung.
→ The health insurance covers the cost of the treatment.
💡 krank (sick) + Kasse (cash box) = the money box for when you're sick 💰
Bonus You'll often hear: “Bei welcher Krankenkasse sind Sie?” (Which insurer are you with?)
die Krankenversicherung
[KRANK-en-fair-zikh-er-oong]health insurance(Pl. die Krankenversicherungen)
📌 In Deutschland braucht jeder eine Krankenversicherung.
→ In Germany everyone needs health insurance.
💡 krank + Versicherung (insurance) = health insurance 🛡️ It ends in -ung, so it's die.
⚠ Krankenversicherung is the insurance itself; Krankenkasse is the fund that runs it. People often mix them up in everyday speech.
die Versichertenkarte
[fair-ZIKH-er-ten-kar-tuh]health insurance card(Pl. die Versichertenkarten · Austrian: die e-card)
📌 Bitte bringen Sie Ihre Versichertenkarte mit.
→ Please bring your health insurance card.
💡 der/die Versicherte (insured person) + Karte = your insurance card 💳
Bonus Often just called the Krankenkassenkarte.
der Hausarzt
[HOWSS-artst]family doctor, GP(Pl. die Hausärzte (f: die Hausärztin))
📌 Mit leichten Beschwerden geht man zuerst zum Hausarzt.
→ With minor complaints you go to your GP first.
💡 Haus (house) + Arzt = the doctor for your household 🏡 Your first stop when you're ill.
die Überweisung
[ü-ber-VY-zoong]bank transfer; (doctor's) referral(Pl. die Überweisungen)
📌 Die Miete zahle ich per Überweisung.
→ I pay the rent by bank transfer.
💡 über (across) + weisen (to point) = sending something over ➡️ Money or patients!
⚠ At the bank it's a transfer; at the doctor's it's a referral. Same word, two meanings.
der Facharzt
[FAKH-artst]specialist (doctor), consultant(Pl. die Fachärzte (f: die Fachärztin))
📌 Auf einen Termin beim Facharzt wartet man oft wochenlang.
→ You often wait weeks for an appointment with a specialist.
💡 Fach (field, school subject) + Arzt = specialist 🔬 Think of a doctor with one ‘subject’.
Bonus Facharzt für + acc.: Facharzt für Augenheilkunde = eye specialist
die Praxis
[PRAK-sis](doctor's) practice, surgery; practice (vs theory)(Pl. die Praxen · Austrian: die Ordination)
📌 Die Praxis ist am Mittwochnachmittag geschlossen.
→ The practice is closed on Wednesday afternoons.
💡 English practice 👩⚕️ Both GPs and specialists usually work in their own Praxis.
die Zuzahlung
[TSOO-tsah-loong]co-payment, additional payment(Pl. die Zuzahlungen)
📌 Für jedes Rezept muss man eine kleine Zuzahlung leisten.
→ You have to make a small co-payment for every prescription.
💡 zu (in addition) + zahlen (to pay) = the bit you pay on top 🪙
die Vorsorgeuntersuchung
[FOR-zor-guh-oon-ter-zoo-khoong](preventive) check-up, screening(Pl. die Vorsorgeuntersuchungen)
📌 Ab 35 hat man Anspruch auf eine kostenlose Vorsorgeuntersuchung.
→ From 35, you're entitled to a free check-up.
💡 Vorsorge (care in advance) + Untersuchung (exam) = check-up 🩻 Long words get easy when you split them!
Bonus Often shortened to just Vorsorge.
gesetzlich
[guh-ZETS-likh]legal, statutory📌 Das ist gesetzlich vorgeschrieben.
→ That's required by law.
💡 Gesetz (law) + -lich = set by law ⚖️ Public insurance is gesetzlich, private is privat.
Bonus gesetzliche Krankenversicherung = statutory health insurance · private Krankenversicherung = private health insurance
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Health insurance is compulsory in Germany. Most people are in the public system (gesetzlich), and some people, depending on their situation, can choose private insurance instead. You pick your public insurer yourself from several funds.
When you're ill, you usually see your GP (Hausarzt) first. People often take a referral (Überweisung) to a specialist, but whether you need one depends on the specialty and your insurance.
Always carry your insurance card to the doctor's. Practices often ask to see it again at the start of each new quarter, so keep it in your wallet. 💳
✅ Quick quiz
Q. At a specialist's reception you're asked: “Haben Sie ___ vom Hausarzt?” What fills the gap?
- ① eine Zuzahlung
- ② eine Krankenkasse
- ③ eine Überweisung
Show the answer
③ eine Überweisung
eine Überweisung vom Hausarzt = a referral from your GP.
Take out your insurance card and say “Ich bin gesetzlich versichert.” three times out loud. It'll come out easily at the next reception desk! 😊
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🧾 Taxes & payslips