Barmenia Health Insurance's bKV Plan: Rates, Benefits, and Costs

Barmenia Health Insurance organizes its supplementary health insurance offerings into four distinct plan structures, which differ in their structure and financing model: BesserGesund Budget and BesserGesund Zahn-Budget operate with tiered health budgets, while BesserGesund Zahn-Kompakt and the employee-funded variant, BesserGesund Zahn-Kompakt EF, are designed as compact plans with a fixed list of benefits. A total of 21 plan options are available, including combinations of individual modules within the plan structures, allowing companies to tailor coverage to their workforce structure and budget.

Under the budget plans, an annual health budget of between 300 and 1,500 euros is provided, from which outpatient services are reimbursed. These include, among other things, naturopathic treatments—both those provided by physicians and by alternative practitioners according to the Hufeland method—as well as medications, bandages, and medical aids. Vision aids are included, but with their own sublimit within the overall budget, which limits reimbursement for this category. Remedies, osteopathy, and naturopathic services vary depending on the selected plan. As a general rule, statutory health insurance is required to provide coverage first: Claims against the statutory health insurance (GKV) or another payer must be filed first before Barmenia Health Insurance covers the remaining costs.

For inpatient care, the plan does not include a daily hospital allowance or optional hospital services; the focus is therefore clearly on outpatient and dental services. For dental restorations, professional teeth cleaning is included, as is teeth whitening—depending on the selected plan. On the preventive care side, preventive checkups are included, including glaucoma screening. The benefits package is supplemented by digital services: Video consultations are available around the clock via Medgate, covering more than 30 medical specialties and offering a private prescription service, along with a specialist appointment service and a medical hotline.

It is important for employers to note that enrollment is possible for companies with five or more employees—this minimum size applies uniformly to all four plan structures, including both the Budget and Compact plans. In addition, there is a premium guarantee through December 31, 2028, which provides companies with planning certainty regarding the costs of the supplementary health insurance (bKV) for this period.

Family members of insured employees may also use the services provided through the digital offerings. The terms governing the coverage of family members vary depending on the selected plan, as do the provisions regarding the contract upon leaving the company and the possible transfer of unused budget—the terms and conditions differ among the various plan options.

With its combination of a low minimum number of participants, tiered budget levels, and the choice between budget-based and compact plans, Barmenia Health Insurance’s offering is suitable for both smaller businesses and companies seeking a differentiated, multi-tiered supplementary health insurance structure. The quality of the plan has been confirmed by external evaluations: Morgen & Morgen rated it “Very Good” (4 out of 5) in 2025, and the IVFP awarded it a “Excellent” rating in 2024.

• BesserGesund Budget (Budget Plan): Budget tiers: 300 / 600 / 900 EUR/year · 6 plan options · for companies with 5 or more employees
• BesserGesund Dental Budget (Budget Plan): Budget tiers: 500 / 1,000 / 1,500 EUR/year · 6 plan options · for companies with 5 or more employees
• BesserGesund Dental Compact (Compact Plan) · 6 plan options · for businesses with 5 or more employees
• BesserGesund Dental Compact EF (employee-funded) (Compact Plan) · 3 plan options · for companies with 5 or more employees

• Preventive screenings: Yes (including glaucoma screenings)
• Alternative practitioners: regulations vary depending on the insurance plan
• Alternative medicine: Yes, medical and naturopathic (Hufeland), within budget
• Osteopathy: Included depending on the plan
• Medicines and medical supplies: Yes
• Medications: Regulations vary depending on the plan
• Resources: Yes
• Vision aids: with a sub-limit within the health care budget
• Professional teeth cleaning: included
• Teeth Whitening: Included depending on the plan
• Daily Hospitalization Benefit: No
• Optional services at the hospital: No
• Digital Health Services: Video Consultations (Yes, Medgate (24/7 video/phone, 30+ specialties, including private prescription service), No) · Specialist Appointment Service · Medical Hotline
• Budget carryover: governed by different rules depending on the pay scale
• Upon leaving the company: regulations vary depending on the collective bargaining agreement
• Services for Family Members: Yes, services are also available to family members
• Family Coverage: Rules Vary Depending on the Plan

The premium amount for Barmenia Health Insurance’s supplementary health insurance (bKV) is primarily based on the selected plan and the budget level specified therein. For the “BesserGesund Budget” plan, you can choose from annual budget levels of 300, 600, and 900 euros; for the “BesserGesund Zahn-Budget” plan, the options are 500, 1,000, and 1,500 euros—the higher the level, the more extensive the reimbursement coverage for outpatient and dental services, respectively.

Reimbursable expenses are not charged to the budget until the statutory health insurance’s obligation to provide advance payment has been fulfilled: Claims must first be filed with the statutory health insurance (GKV) or another payer; only the remaining balance is then paid from the health budget. Within the budget, there are also individual sublimits—for example, for vision aids—that cap the reimbursement amount for certain types of services.

Whether and to what extent an unused budget can be carried over to the following year is governed by different provisions depending on the collective bargaining agreement. In addition, a contribution guarantee is in effect through December 31, 2028, which provides employers with fixed calculation bases for the selected budget level during this period.

• Morgen & Morgen: Very Good (4/5) · 2025 — Rating
• IVFP: Excellent · 2024 — Rating