What is a Selbst­be­tei­li­gung?

Some insurance policies have a deductible (Selbstbeteiligung). This is the amount you must pay yourself before the insurance starts paying for you.

Private health insurance often has a yearly deductible. For example, if your insurance has a €1,200 per year deductible, and you get an operation that costs €2,000, you pay €1,200, and your health insurance pays €800. A higher deductible means lower monthly payments.

Public health insurance has smaller deductibles: €5 to €10 per prescription.¹

Car insurance often has a deductible too.