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The official question catalogue has 8 questions on this topic. In the app you practise them with instant feedback and in the exam simulation.
What is the welfare state?
A welfare state helps people who are in difficult situations. The state provides security, for example, in cases of illness, need for care, accidents at work or old age. The Basic Law (Grundgesetz) calls Germany a social federation. The welfare state thus also works against poverty. Child benefit is a state benefit for families and not an insurance benefit.
An important part of the welfare state is social insurance. It is a system of several insurance schemes. Employees and employers pay contributions into it. This principle is called solidarity: those who are healthy and working help, through their contributions, to make sure that people in need are protected too.
Who pays for social insurance?
Social insurance is financed mainly through contributions. These contributions are called social security contributions. For employees they are deducted automatically from wages or salary. The size of the contributions depends on income.
Employers and employees in principle pay the contributions together, usually half each. One exception is statutory accident insurance. Its contributions are paid by the employer alone.
Anyone in permanent employment therefore pays into social insurance automatically. Social assistance, child benefit and housing benefit, by contrast, are state benefits. They are not deducted from wages.
The five branches
These branches belong to statutory social insurance. Each branch has its own rules, contributions and benefits:
- Health insurance: protects against one of life’s risks, illness.
- Long-term care insurance: helps when care is needed. Anyone with statutory health insurance is automatically covered by long-term care insurance too.
- Accident insurance: protects in the event of accidents, above all at work.
- Pension insurance: secures income in old age and in cases of permanently reduced earning capacity.
- Unemployment insurance: supports people who are unemployed and while they look for work.
Private insurance policies such as life insurance, car insurance or buildings insurance are not part of it. They are taken out privately.
What else the state provides
The state has many tasks. It builds and maintains roads and schools. The Federation, the federal states (Länder) and the municipalities are responsible for this, depending on the area.
The state pays child benefit. It also supports museums and sport under certain conditions.
Food, clothing, newspapers or cars, on the other hand, are mostly offered or made by private companies. So the state does not produce all everyday goods, but takes on certain tasks.
Why protection matters
Illness or an accident can happen to anyone. Without protection, you would have to bear the costs of treatment yourself. Statutory health insurance covers these costs for its members.
In old age, too, statutory pension insurance provides an income. Unemployment insurance helps when a job ends. This way, a person is not left without support even in hard times. The system has grown over decades and is adjusted again and again.
These 8 questions are in the test
- 35Womit finanziert der deutsche Staat die Sozialversicherung?
- 36Welche Maßnahme schafft in Deutschland soziale Sicherheit?
- 45Zu welcher Versicherung gehört die Pflegeversicherung?
- 46Der deutsche Staat hat viele Aufgaben. Welche Aufgabe gehört dazu?
- 47Der deutsche Staat hat viele Aufgaben. Welche Aufgabe gehört nicht dazu?
- 97Was bezahlt man in Deutschland automatisch, wenn man fest angestellt ist?
- 99Wer bezahlt in Deutschland die Sozialversicherungen?
- 100Was gehört nicht zur gesetzlichen Sozialversicherung?
Each question with its explanation is on the question pages. You can practise with answers in the app.
SourcesSozialversicherung - Bundesministerium für Arbeit und SozialesVersicherte in der Pflegeversicherung - Bundesministerium für GesundheitSozialversicherung - Deutsche RentenversicherungWas ist Kindergeld? - Familienportal des Bundes
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