Health insurance · long-term care insurance

Statutory health and nursing care insurance

In Germany there are two kinds of health insurance, the private and the statutory health insurance. All following information relates to the statutory health insurance.

The statutory health insurance is a compulsory insurance for – among others - all employees whose income (regular annual remuneration) falls below the annual remuneration limit. Employees whose regular annual income exceeds the annual remuneration limit may opt either for private health insurance or voluntary insurance in the statutory health insurance.

Seafarers can choose from different health insurance funds

Like any employee, seafarers can now choose their health insurance fund freely. Formerly, seafarers were compulsory members in the statutory maritime health- and nursing care insurance fund. In 2008 this maritime health insurance fund (combined with the maritime nursing care insurance fund) from Hamburg merged with the "Knappschaft" from Bochum to become a new nationwide health and nursing care insurance fund, headquartered in Bochum. Today this new Knappschaft is still the first choice for most seafarers.