Since health insurance is mandatory in Germany, you usually can’t simply pause your private health insurance once it’s active. However, in some instances, you can pay a small monthly fee to pause your private health insurance. This is called "Anwartschaftsversicherung" in German. It allows you to temporarily stop full coverage while keeping the right to return to your private plan later
When can I pause my private health insurance in Germany?
You can pause your private health insurance on both short and long-term plans if any of these apply to you:
You've lost your job and the job agency is covering your public health insurance, but you plan to return to private insurance once you're employed again above the income threshold.
You were self-employed and have switched to employment with an income below the threshold, but plan to return to private insurance in the future.
Your income has dropped below the threshold due to a threshold increase, meaning you need public insurance for now, but want to return to private insurance after a pay rise.
If you're on a long-term plan, you can also pause if you're moving abroad temporarily (more than 6 months) and plan to come back to Germany.
What are the benefits of pausing private health insurance?
Pausing your private health insurance preserves your age and health status as of when you paused, so you can rejoin later under the original contract terms without answering health-related questions again. This option benefits those who plan to rejoin private insurance in the future.
If, for example, you are not planning to move back to Germany, it will not make sense to pause your private health insurance.
How much does it cost to pause private health insurance?
The cost to pause private health insurance varies based on your current monthly premium amount. The reduced monthly fee starts at around 10% of your current costs and is referred to as Anwartschaftsversicherung.
How can I request an insurance pause for private health insurance?
You can request an insurance pause through the 'Manage this policy' button in your account.