As German Health Insurance Landscape Shifts, DEVK Targets SMEs With No-Medical-Check Plans
Published on 07/01/2026 at 12:33 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
The battle for talent among small and midsize German companies is heating up, and insurers see an opening. On July 1, 2026, Cologne-based DEVK will launch JobMed, a standalone corporate health insurance (bKV) system designed for businesses with at least five employees. The product enters a market where arbeitgeberfinanzierte Gesundheitsleistungen—employer-funded health benefits—are becoming a key retention tool.
DEVK’s offering includes four tariff options, as executives Martin Wierer and Dirk Kopisch detailed. Customers choose from annual benefit budgets of €400, €800, or €1,200, or opt for an inpatient-specific tariff. A major selling point: no individual health checks and no waiting periods. Coverage takes effect the moment the contract starts, lowering the barrier for workers who might otherwise hesitate to switch plans.
The move is part of a broader wave. At the same time, Provinzial Konzern introduces corporate health insurance for its own staff, initially as an employer-funded perk. That program, run with Union Krankenversicherung (UKV), focuses on preventive screenings, vaccinations, and subsidies for glasses and hearing aids.
Other players are also adjusting. Landeskrankenhilfe (LKH) rolls out a new tariff line for civil servants and trainees with full reimbursement of medical expenses. INTER Krankenversicherung adds a €2,400 deductible tier to its system and promises premium stability through the end of 2027.
Meanwhile, a separate regulatory change takes effect on July 1: under Germany’s Digital-Gesetz (Digital Act), pharmacies are now allowed to offer assisted telemedicine. That means they can support video consultations or provide initial medical assessments in dedicated counseling rooms.
The timing of these private insurance expansions coincides with political tinkering. The federal government plans to raise the Beitragsbemessungsgrenze (contribution assessment ceiling). According to AOK analyses, an increase of €300 per month could trigger up to 100,000 switches from statutory to private health insurance each year.
The GKV-Spitzenverband, representing statutory insurers, warns the reforms could weaken the public system. The PKV-Verband, in turn, points to higher financial burdens for high earners. In this fluid environment, supplementary corporate policies are gaining weight as a means of binding employees.
Personnel changes also signal industry shifts. Generali Deutschland is reorganizing its leadership: Dorothea Bachem takes charge of the health insurance division no later than early 2027, while Stefan Weih assumes responsibility for artificial intelligence and digitalization from mid-July 2026.
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