The citizens’ insurance (Bürgerversicherung) is a political reform concept under which health insurance for all residents would be organised in one common system. For privately insured people it raises the question of what would happen to their contract and their reserves. This guide separates what is actually before the Bundestag in November 2026, what applies today, and which questions a law would have to settle before anything changes for you.
In short: A citizens’ insurance is not enacted as of November 2026. Before the Bundestag is a motion by the opposition parliamentary group Die Linke (printed paper 21/7970) calling for bills to convert statutory health insurance and social long-term care insurance into a citizens’ insurance. It had its first reading on 25 September 2026 and was referred to committees. Until the law changes, the existing rules for statutory (GKV) and private (PKV) insurance apply. Last updated: November 2026.
The key points at a glance
- “Bürgerversicherung” is not a fixed legal term. The effect of any model depends on how it is designed.
- Procedural status: the Linke motion (printed paper 21/7970) had its first reading on 25 September 2026 and was referred to committees, with the Committee on Labour and Social Affairs in the lead. It is a motion, not a bill.
- Today the dual system applies: if you earn below the compulsory insurance threshold, you are normally covered by statutory insurance. In 2026 the threshold is 77,400 euros a year. For 2027, the cabinet draft of the contribution thresholds contains 84,150 euros.
- Private contracts continue unchanged under current law. Cancelling on suspicion is not a sensible reaction to a debate without a law.
- How a law would affect existing contracts, ageing reserves and transition periods can only be assessed once a concrete draft exists.
What is meant by citizens’ insurance?
At its core the idea is that no distinction is made any more between statutory and private health insurance, and a single group of insured people pays into a common financing system. Which groups would be included, how contributions would be calculated and what would happen to private insurers is answered differently depending on the proposal. Without a concrete bill one can therefore only describe which adjustments are possible, not how your contract would change.
Where does the matter stand in the Bundestag?
According to bundestag.de, the parliamentary group Die Linke tabled the motion “Strengthening the principle of solidarity” (printed paper 21/7970). The first reading took place on 25 September 2026 with a one-hour debate, after which the motion was referred to committees, with the Committee on Labour and Social Affairs in the lead. The decision covers only the referral; a vote on the substance is not mentioned there. The motion calls for bills to convert statutory health insurance and social long-term care insurance into a citizens’ insurance. It names as goals a fairer distribution of contribution burdens and a lower health insurance contribution.
Another Linke motion, “Relieve rather than burden the insured” (printed paper 21/5487), had its first reading on 23 April 2026. On 8 July 2026 the Health Committee recommended in its recommendation 21/7015 that it be rejected; CDU/CSU, AfD, SPD and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen voted in favour of that recommendation, Die Linke against. This motion calls, among other things, for the contribution assessment ceiling and the compulsory insurance threshold to be raised immediately to 15,000 euros a month, and mentions a solidarity-based health and long-term care insurance as a longer-term perspective. The text does not address including the privately insured. The recommendation to reject concerns this motion as a whole and allows no conclusion about how the individual parliamentary groups view a citizens’ insurance as such.
On the positions: both motions come from the parliamentary group Die Linke, which is in opposition in the 21st Bundestag. The federal government is supported by CDU/CSU and SPD. The Bundestag page describes the debate of 25 September 2026 as a dispute among the parliamentary groups over the demand. The arguments of the other groups are not reproduced here because the sources evaluated do not contain them verbatim. You can find them in the plenary minutes of the session. The coalition agreement shows what the governing groups have agreed on health insurance. Read both documents in the original before forming a view.
| Initiative | Status | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Motion “Strengthening the principle of solidarity”, printed paper 21/7970 | First reading 25.09.2026, referred to committees | In procedure, not a bill, not enacted |
| Motion “Relieve rather than burden the insured”, printed paper 21/5487 | Health Committee recommendation of 08.07.2026 (rejection) | In procedure, rejection recommended |
| Statutory introduction of a citizens’ insurance | No enacted law | Under discussion |
What applies to the privately insured today?
Under section 193 VVG, if you live in Germany you must have health cost insurance, unless you are covered by or subject to statutory insurance or fall under another exception. Employees earning above the annual income threshold are exempt from compulsory insurance under section 6 SGB V and can insure privately. According to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, that threshold is 77,400 euros a year, or 6,450 euros a month, in 2026. For 2027 the cabinet draft of the social insurance thresholds ordinance gives 84,150 euros, which becomes binding only after the Bundesrat consents. How these thresholds affect a switch is explained in Versicherungspflichtgrenze 2027 (in German).
The statutory concept is therefore two-track: statutory insurance is funded by income-related contributions up to the contribution assessment ceiling, which is 69,750 euros a year in 2026. In private insurance the premium depends on the insured risk and the chosen tariff, and ageing reserves are part of the calculation. A citizens’ insurance would start from this structure.
Which questions would a law have to settle?
Because no draft exists, effects cannot be calculated. One can, however, describe what a legislator would have to regulate. The following table is a checklist, not a forecast.
| Question | Why it matters for the privately insured |
|---|---|
| Who is included: only newly insured people or existing policyholders as well? | It determines whether your current contract would be affected. |
| How are contributions assessed: from employment income only or from other income too, and up to what ceiling? | The contribution would follow a different yardstick than in private insurance today. |
| What happens to the ageing reserves? | They are part of private insurance calculation today, so their fate would be a central point. |
| Are there transition periods and options? | They determine how quickly, and whether at all, anything changes. |
| How are civil-service medical allowances, civil servants and supplementary policies treated? | They concern occupational groups with special rules. |
Basics on the reserves that feature in every such debate are in Ageing reserve in private health insurance explained.
What can you do now as a privately insured person?
The sensible reaction to a debate without a law is to wait and stay informed. Cancelling private insurance because of mere expectations is risky, because returning to statutory insurance is tied to conditions and a new private policy may come on different terms. The conditions for returning are described in Return to statutory insurance: when switching back works. What you should watch is whether a motion turns into a bill with a government majority behind it. Once a draft exists, its effect on existing contracts can be checked concretely.
For career starters who are currently considering a move into private insurance, the familiar decision questions still apply, as explained in First job health insurance: statutory or private?. Whether you stay in statutory insurance or switch to private cover is a personal weighing-up that depends on income, family plans and risk appetite. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages.
Frequently asked questions
Will the citizens’ insurance happen?
That cannot be predicted reliably. What is documented is only that motions by the parliamentary group Die Linke are before the Bundestag, some of which have had a first reading. No citizens’ insurance has been enacted.
Do I have to cancel my private insurance because of the debate?
No. Under current law the debate changes nothing about your contract. Cancellation should be considered only if it would fit your situation even without the debate.
Would civil servants be affected too?
That depends on the model. The motion described on bundestag.de names the conversion of statutory health insurance and social long-term care insurance as its goal. How civil servants, allowances and private insurance would be included would be speculation without a concrete draft.
Does my compulsory insurance threshold still apply?
Yes, until the legislator changes something. For 2026 it is 77,400 euros a year; for 2027 there is a cabinet draft with 84,150 euros that still needs the Bundesrat’s consent.
What to do now
- Check whether you are above the compulsory insurance threshold and which insurance applies to you.
- Read your contract documents, especially tariff terms and information on premium development and ageing reserves.
- Follow the Bundestag deliberations, in particular whether a bill is introduced.
- Do not cancel a contract solely because of a debate without a law.
- For a personal assessment of your situation, you can find Academycon’s advisory service at How we work (in German).
Related guides
- PKV 2027: Grenzen, Beiträge und Änderungen im Überblick (in German)
- PKV-Wechsel 2027: Lohnt der Schritt bei den neuen Grenzen? (in German)
- PKV-Bestandsschutz 2027: Was am Stichtag 31.12.2026 zählt (in German)
- Bürgerversicherung für Studierende: Was wäre anders als in PKV und GKV (in German)
- PKV 2027 für Studierende: Was die Gesundheitsreform ändern könnte (in German)
Sources: Bundestag, printed paper 21/7970, motion by the parliamentary group Die Linke, 10 September 2026 (in German), Coalition agreement of CDU, CSU and SPD “Verantwortung für Deutschland”, 2025 (in German), German Bundestag, text archive: motion “Das Solidarprinzip stärken” (printed paper 21/7970), 25 September 2026, Bundestag, recommendation and report of the Health Committee, printed paper 21/7015, 8 July 2026, GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on contribution thresholds, 1 January 2026, Section 6 SGB V (gesetze-im-internet.de), Section 193 VVG (gesetze-im-internet.de).
Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
