In the German dental care system, bills are calculated on the basis of the Gebührenordnung für Zahnärzte (GOZ) – the official dental fee schedule.
Health insurance is mandatory for everyone living and working in Germany. You can choose between public and private health insurance, but you must take out a suitable and adequate insurance policy.
Public health insurance (GKV) policies include an annual dental hygiene visit for adults (and six-monthly visits for children) as standard. However, dental coverage in the public insurance system is only covered to a basic level – which can result in policyholders facing significant additional costs. For this reason, many publicly insured people take out top-up insurance for dental services to cover these costs.
If you take out private health insurance (PKV), the coverage for dental treatments and services will be send out in detail in your policy. You should ensure this coverage meets your needs before concluding the contract.
Dentists calculate their bills on the basis of the official dental fee schedule. They can multiply this fee by an incremental factor of up to 3.5 depending on the complexity of the treatment, the materials needed, the time required, and the circumstances in which the treatment is administered. However, this must be justified in writing.
In most cases, dentists provide an estimate outlining the expected cost before administering treatment, which allows patients to check whether their insurance provider will cover the cost.
We offer a no-claim bonus for Pro tariffs if you don't make usage of the insurance or you only submit certain invoices, e.g. for preventive medical examinations, as we want you to go and have your annual check-ups.
If you want to get more information on our no-claim bonus and the Pro tariffs, please read our guide article.
In Germany, doctor fees are regulated by GOÄ (Gebührenordnung für Ärtze) and GOZ (Gebührenordnung für Zahnärtze). This is a price range regulation that indicates the cost of a treatment.
A normal treatment will be charged with factor 2,3. Anything higher than that up to 3,5 needs an explanation from the doctor on the invoice, explaining the increased effort.
Everything higher than 3,5 the doctor needs you to sign the so called “Honorarvereinbarung” before the treatment. We advise you to always let us know if this happens.
You have the option to pay a little more today, to reduce your tariff cost when you are in retirement age. We recommend this optional insurance for everybody. If you choose a €100 monthly reduction from the age of 67, then your tariff will be €100 lower for you when you are 67 years old.
You have so much to do when moving to Germany, don’t let your health insurance slow you down. Let ottonova make your life easier.
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