Most people assume the state protects them against accidents. That is exactly half true: work and the commute are covered; sport, home and holidays are not. And that is where most accidents happen.
Where statutory accident cover stops
The statutory system covers work and the journey to it. Everything else — sport, home, holidays, weekends — falls outside, and that is the larger part of life.
✓ Verified: 01/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
I broke my arm cycling at the weekend. The health fund paid for treatment; I paid for three months without contracts — I had no idea that boundary existed.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
Ask your employer about group cover for leisure time. Sometimes it already exists and costs little to add.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What exactly does the statutory system cover? ▾
Accidents at work and on the journey to and from it. The definition is set by statute and is narrow: detours for private reasons usually fall outside, and leisure time is not included at all.
Does my health fund not cover everything else? ▾
It pays for treatment, which matters. But it does not pay for lasting consequences: if after an injury you cannot work as before, treatment ends and the loss of income remains. That is precisely the gap private cover fills.
How large is that gap in practice? ▾
Most accidents happen away from work: at home, playing sport, on holiday. Anyone doing a lot of sport or renovating themselves sits well above average — and that entire area is outside statutory cover.
Who needs it most? ▾
Those whose income depends on physical capacity and who have no long continued-pay arrangement: the self-employed, tradespeople, anyone without extended cover for incapacity. Employees have other mechanisms absorbing part of the risk; the self-employed have almost none.