this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2026
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Work Reform
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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
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- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
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- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
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That's not at all how it works in Germany, though. Dental treatments are paid, as is medication. There is a surcharge for medication, which is capped at 10 Euros. And some dental options, which are not strictly necessary (debatable in many cases, I'll give you that!) are not included. Physio and optical costs are also included.
Some of the payments require a doctor's prescription in order to be accepted, but I would call that pretty fucking universal.
Nonsense. Dental treatments are slightly subsidised, but even with the subsidy are more expensive than paying outright in cash in France. They are only covered if you're, like, gonna die from a tooth infection or something, and then they'll remove it but not do anything about the missing tooth. The subsidy doesn't even fully cover simple fillings, which still cost more than 100€ even for shitty resin ones. Let alone a ceramic crown for a front tooth which is like 600-1000€. Why do you think everyone goes to Poland or Turkey when they need real dental care?
Ok, here's what is subsidised, assuming you speak German:
https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/gesundheit-pflege/krankenversicherung/alle-kassenleistungen-der-zahnmedizin-im-ueberblick-12921
Call that nonsense if you wish, I'm not going to enter into a discussion of that kind.
So clearly you haven't been to the dentist in Germany, or even read that very article you posted. Yes the 6-monthly checkup is covered, that's great. But the subsidy for fillings in molars, for example, only covers amalgam fillings. Dentists don't actually do those anymore, so you have to pay more than 100€ "extra" to get a resin one. The majority of other situations are similar to that. In the end, even though the rule says that medically necessary things are supposed to be covered, in practice they really aren't.