Unconfuse | Updated 27 September 2026
If you live and work in Germany, you may have heard that statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, or GKV) is changing. Headlines about higher income thresholds, family cover and dental costs can sound alarming. Here is what the current reform package says, which figures are still awaiting final confirmation, and what you can check for your own situation.
Two income limits that do different jobs
The Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze (JAEG), also called the insurance obligation threshold, determines when an employee may be eligible to leave compulsory GKV membership and choose private health insurance (PKV). Crossing it does not mean you must switch. Your regular annual earnings and individual circumstances matter.
The Beitragsbemessungsgrenze (BBG) is the ceiling on income used to calculate GKV and long-term care insurance contributions. If you earn more than the ceiling, the amount above it is not counted for those contributions. A higher ceiling can therefore increase contributions for higher earners even when their contribution rate stays the same.
For 2026, the general JAEG is €77,400 a year, and the health and long-term care BBG is €69,750 a year (€5,812.50 a month). The reform provides for an additional €300 a month (€3,600 a year) on top of the normal 2027 adjustment for both limits. The government estimates that the extra BBG step alone would add up to about €26 a month to an affected employee’s share of GKV contributions. The complete 2027 thresholds still depend on the annual social insurance figures regulation; treat numbers circulating from its draft as provisional until it is approved. [1][2]
What to do: If your salary sits near the JAEG, ask your employer or adviser to check your regular annual earnings against the final 2027 figure. If you earn above the current BBG, check your January payslip when the new values take effect. Do not decide between GKV and PKV on the threshold alone: family cover, benefits and long-term affordability are just as relevant.
Family insurance: what is actually changing?
Free GKV family cover is not disappearing for children. The reform discussed by the Bundestag introduces a 2.5% contribution surcharge from 2028 for some previously free-covered spouses and registered partners, calculated on the paying member’s contribution-liable income. Important exemptions remain, including parents with a child under 12 and certain carers and people with disabilities or health limitations. The exact application to an individual household deserves a check with its statutory health provider. [2][3]
That is a significant difference from saying “family insurance is ending.” For a couple relying on free partner cover, the question is whether the partner meets an exemption, whether they have their own insurance entitlement, and what the surcharge would mean in practice. Children’s cover is a separate question.
Dental treatment: a smaller fixed subsidy for dentures
The reform would reduce the fixed subsidy for standard dental prosthetic treatment (Regelversorgung mit Zahnersatz) from 60% to 50%. With an uninterrupted record of regular dental check-ups, the corresponding figures after five and ten years would move from 70% to 60% and 75% to 65%. The hardship rule for people on low incomes remains. This concerns the fixed subsidy for prosthetic treatment; it does not mean that ordinary dental care is no longer covered. [3]
If you expect crowns, bridges or dentures, ask your dentist for the treatment and cost plan and request a clear breakdown of standard care, extras and your likely own payment. Keep your dental check-up record up to date.
Medication and other co-payments
The reform package calls for statutory co-payment amounts to rise by 50%. That could affect what you pay when collecting a covered prescription or using other services subject to a co-payment. The annual burden limits described by the Health Ministry remain 2% of gross household income, or 1% for qualifying chronically ill people. Check how these limits apply to your household and keep receipts if you may reach one. [2][3]
A different measure concerns homeopathic and anthroposophic products and services, which the ministry says would no longer be reimbursable under GKV. That should not be confused with a general withdrawal of prescription medicine cover. [3]
What should you do now?
- Check your 2027 employment and contribution figures once the annual regulation is final, especially if your earnings are near either limit.
- Ask your health provider about family cover if a spouse or partner is currently insured through you; the partner surcharge is planned for 2028, and exceptions matter.
- Plan larger dental work carefully. Get a written treatment and cost plan, and check the hardship rule and your bonus record.
- Keep co-payment receipts and ask your health provider whether the annual limit could apply to you.
- Compare the whole picture before changing insurance. A higher JAEG or BBG alone does not tell you whether public or private cover is a better fit.
The reform and annual thresholds have different approval steps and start dates. We will update this article when the final 2027 regulation and implementation details are published.
This article is general information, not an individual insurance recommendation. Your insurer and circumstances determine the exact result.
Sources and status
[1] Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: 2026 social insurance figures — final 2026 thresholds.
[2] Federal Ministry of Health: Bundestag’s July 2026 decision on the GKV contribution stabilisation bill — parliamentary reform status, partner and co-payment amendments.
[3] Federal Ministry of Health: questions and answers on the GKV reform — government explanation of thresholds, dental subsidy, family cover, medicines and burden limits. Its page was updated 10 July 2026; we will check final legal text and implementation details as they develop.