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

Debeka Krankenversicherung’s employer-sponsored health insurance is structured as a health budget, with employers able to choose from five budget tiers ranging from 300 to 1,500 euros per employee per year. Within this budget tier, five plan options—including combinable modules—are available, allowing companies to tailor the scope of supplemental coverage to their workforce and budget. The selected amount also serves as the maximum reimbursement amount up to which expenses are reimbursed in the respective calendar year.

In the outpatient sector, the budget covers a wide range of services: medications, bandages, and therapeutic products; medical aids, including travel and transportation; naturopathic treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and osteopathy; and services provided by alternative practitioners in accordance with the GebüH. A prerequisite is always that the statutory health insurance provider makes the initial payment; Debeka-bKV then reimburses the remaining, eligible expenses up to the agreed-upon maximum reimbursement amount. A separate sublimit applies to vision aids within the health budget, ensuring that this category does not completely deplete the remaining budget.

Under the DebeCare combined plan, optional in-hospital services such as a two-bed room, a two-bed room with a physician of your choice, or a single room with a physician of your choice are available—depending on the selected option—but are not covered by the budget plan itself. A daily hospital allowance is not included in the plan. For dental care, professional teeth cleaning is included as a preventive service, supplemented by targeted preventive examinations in accordance with the early detection programs mandated by law. A digital specialist appointment service and a medical hotline are available; video consultations are not included in the budget plan itself but can be added as a 24-hour video health consultation through the optional VorsorgePlus module.

From an organizational standpoint, Debeka-bKV requires a group insurance contract between the employer and the insurer and is available to companies with five or more employees. Individual employees are enrolled through this framework agreement; the criteria specified in the contract must be met in order for a person to be insured.

Employees’ family members, such as spouses or registered domestic partners and children, can be included in the coverage. If an employee leaves the company, he or she may continue the insurance coverage privately without having to undergo another medical examination or serve a new waiting period; the corresponding application must be submitted within two months after the end of the bKV plan. This provision significantly facilitates the transition to private continuation coverage, as there are no health-related obstacles.

With a minimum of five employees, this plan is also aimed at smaller businesses seeking flexible, scalable supplemental coverage. The range of price tiers allows for both basic coverage and a more comprehensive benefits package. External ratings vary: Assekurata rates the plan A++, Franke & Bornberg rates it “Very Good,” while Morgen & Morgen rates it “Average” (3 out of 5).

• Health Budget (Budget Plan): Budget tiers 300 / 600 / 900 / 1,200 / 1,500 EUR/year · 5 plan options · for companies with 5 or more employees

• Screening exams: Yes, targeted screening exams
• Alternative Practitioner: Yes, according to the GebüH (included in the budget)
• Alternative medicine: Yes, including acupuncture, homeopathy, and osteopathy (physician with additional certification or alternative medicine practitioner)
• Osteopathy: included
• Medicines and medical supplies: Yes
• Remedy: Yes
• Assistance: Yes (including rides/transportation)
• Vision aids: with a sub-limit within the health care budget
• Professional teeth cleaning: included
• Daily Hospitalization Benefit: No
• Optional services in the hospital: Yes, under the DebeCare combined plan (two-bed room / two-bed room + doctor of choice / single room + doctor of choice, depending on the option); not covered by the budget rate itself
• Digital Health Services: Video Consultations (No; 24-hour health counseling via video available only in the optional VorsorgePlus module (EAPI-F plan)) · Specialist Appointment Service · Medical Hotline
• Budget Carryover: No, the maximum reimbursement amount applies per person per calendar year; no carryover
• Upon leaving the company: Yes, continued coverage without a medical exam or waiting periods; application deadline is 2 months after the end of the supplementary health insurance plan
• Family Coverage: Yes, family members can be covered

Premiums for the Debeka-bKV are based on the selected budget tier: Employers set a maximum reimbursement amount between 300 and 1,500 euros per employee per year, which also serves as the upper limit for reimbursements in the respective calendar year. Within these tiers, there are five plan options with different benefit packages to choose from, allowing the scope and cost of coverage to be tailored to the company’s needs.

All outpatient services included in the plan—such as medications, bandages, and therapeutic agents; assistive devices; naturopathic treatments; and services provided by alternative practitioners—are counted toward the budget, although vision aids are subject to a separate sublimit within the overall budget. Reimbursement generally requires prior payment by the statutory health insurance provider, so that the amount actually paid from the budget is based on the remaining expenses not covered elsewhere.

There is no provision for carrying over unused budget allocations to the following year: The maximum reimbursement amount applies per person and calendar year and expires at the end of the year if it has not been fully utilized. Optional hospital services under the DebeCare combined model are arranged separately and are not financed from the current budget allocation.

• Assekurata: A++ · 2026 — Rating
• Franke & Bornberg: Very Good · 2025 — Rating
• Morgen & Morgen: Average (3/5) · 2025 — Rating