Knappschaft Bahn See

What Knappschaft Bahn See does

Knappschaft-Bahn-See (KBS), legally Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft-Bahn-See, is a German statutory social insurance carrier operating under public law as a Träger der Sozialversicherung. It provides pension, statutory health, and long-term care insurance to approximately 5.7 million insured members, with a historical mandate covering miners, railway workers, and seafarers. Formed on October 1, 2005, through the merger of Bundesknappschaft, Bahnversicherungsanstalt, and Seekasse, and headquartered in Bochum since 1969, KBS operates an integrated Verbund system that combines insurance administration with direct healthcare delivery: roughly 1,500 contracted physicians, 9 owned rehabilitation clinics, stakes in 3 additional rehab facilities and 8 hospital companies, plus the prosper integrated care network (active since 1999) and the Sozialmedizinischer Dienst. Revenue is generated from statutory insurance contributions (income-based plus an annually set Zusatzbeitrag), U1/U2 employer insurance levies, federal administrative allocations for the Minijob-Zentrale (which manages 6.8+ million marginal-employment accounts as the sole federally mandated clearing house), and clinical/rehabilitation fees under statutory reimbursement. Beyond core insurance, KBS administers ancillary federal mandates including the Seemannskasse (seafarers, since 2009) and Künstlersozialkasse (artists, since 2025), operates the Bundesfachstelle Barrierefreiheit and the rehapro Fachstelle, and runs digital services including the elektronische Patientenakte (ePA) nationally rolled out to KNAPPSCHAFT members. Distribution runs through six regional directorates (Nord, Cottbus-Berlin, Chemnitz, Frankfurt, München, Saarbrücken), hundreds of local Geschäftsstellen, online portals, and telephone service lines, with marketing supported by the company's own health magazine 'tag', the historic 'kompass' gazette (since 1886), and active social media and event presence.

Name

Knappschaft Bahn See

Legal name

Knappschaft-Bahn-See

Website

https://kbs.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Knappschaft-Bahn-See is a German statutory social insurance provider serving approximately 5.7 million insured members across pension, health, and long-term care insurance, operating the federally mandated Minijob-Zentrale and an integrated medical network of clinics and physicians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Statutory Social Insurance

NAICS

Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers (524114), Offices of Other Health Practitioners (6213)

SIC

Accident & Health Insurance (6321), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health Benefit Administration (MBHO Core) (HLAEAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Behavioral Health Population Health, Quality & Outcomes Measurement (HLAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Statutory social insurance
• Statutory health insurance
• Statutory pension insurance
• Long-term care insurance
• Rehabilitation clinic services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bochum

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Statutory Pension Insurance Contributions: As a branch of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung system, KBS collects mandatory contributions from employers and employees for pension insurance. Revenue is determined by statutory contribution rates applied to covered wages.
2. Statutory Health Insurance Contributions (KNAPPSCHAFT): KNAPPSCHAFT, KBS's health and long-term care insurance arm, generates revenue through statutory health insurance contributions from members, including both income-based contributions and an income-independent supplementary contribution (Zusatzbeitrag) set annually. Revenue also includes government subsidies for certain insured groups.
3. Employer Insurance (Arbeitgeberversicherung): Operates the statutory employer insurance scheme (U1/U2 levies) providing reimbursement of continued wage payments during illness and maternity. Revenue derived from contributions paid by employers based on wage bills.
4. Minijob-Zentrale Administrative Services: Government-mandated central clearing house for all German minijob registrations. Handles contributions, reporting and flat-rate taxes for approximately 6.8+ million minijob accounts. Funded through statutory administrative allocations, not direct charges to employers.
5. Clinic and Rehabilitation Operations: KBS operates 9 rehabilitation clinics directly and holds stakes in 3 additional clinics plus 8 hospital companies. Revenue from treating insured patients covered by pension and health insurance contracts, billed under statutory reimbursement rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Knappschaft-Bahn-See (KBS) is a German statutory social insurance carrier that delivers integrated pension, health, and long-term care insurance under the Deutsche Rentenversicherung system, with a particular focus on miners, railway workers, and seafarers. Beyond core insurance, KBS operates the government-mandated Minijob-Zentrale, an employer insurance (Arbeitgeberversicherung) scheme, a network of nine rehabilitation clinics, and a Künstlersozialkasse for artists, supported by approximately 1,500 affiliated physicians and dentists under the prosper integrated care network.

Product overview

Knappschaft-Bahn-See (KBS) operates as a unique composite social insurance system comprising multiple integrated service divisions: the KNAPPSCHAFT health and long-term care insurance (core offering open to all insured employees since 2007), a network of nine owned plus three affiliated rehabilitation clinics, the Minijob-Zentrale processing over 6.8 million mini-job accounts nationally, the Seemannskasse for maritime workers, Renten-Zusatzversicherung for supplementary pensions, Arbeitgeberversicherung for employer insurance, the Bundesfachstelle Barrierefreiheit for accessibility, the Fachstelle rehapro for rehabilitation programs, the Sozialmedizinischer Dienst for social-medical services, the Künstlersozialkasse for artists, and the prosper integrated healthcare network. Together these divisions provide comprehensive social and medical security covering pension insurance, health/nursing care insurance, and extensive medical services through a network of approximately 1,500 general practitioners, specialists, and dentists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KNAPPSCHAFT: Health and long-term care insurance brand of KBS
• Minijob-Zentrale
• Arbeitgeberversicherung
• prosper Gesundheitsnetz
• Knappschaft-Kliniken
• Seemannskasse
• Künstlersozialkasse
• Bundesfachstelle Barrierefreiheit
• Fachstelle rehapro
• Fachstelle für Fördermittel des Bundes

Products and services

• KNAPPSCHAFT Health and Long-Term Care Insurance

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.7 million insured members across all insurance lines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VfL Bochum 1848 e.V.coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 June 2025KNAPPSCHAFT and VfL Bochum launched a cooperation for the joint movement project ZUSAMMENSPIEL (ZUSAMMENSPIEL). The partnership combines sports club activities with KNAPPSCHAFT's health promotion mission, aiming to increase physical activity among insured members and the local community through VfL's sports programs.
• DOSB (Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund) / Zentrale Prüfstelle PräventionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2024KNAPPSCHAFT participates in joint preventive health initiatives with the DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation) and the Zentrale Prüfstelle Prävention (Central Prevention Testing Body). These collaborations focus on certified prevention courses and programs that qualify for statutory health insurance reimbursement.
• spectrumKcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2023KNAPPSCHAFT entered into a cooperation with spectrumK, a healthcare data analytics and consulting firm. spectrumK provides data analysis, health economics insights, and consulting services supporting KNAPPSCHAFT's strategic planning and healthcare service optimization.
• DKV Deutsche Krankenversicherung AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2022KNAPPSCHAFT and DKV AG entered into a strategic cooperation agreement. The partnership involves coordinated health insurance offerings, shared service development, and complementary product design between the statutory health insurer (KNAPPSCHAFT) and private health insurer (DKV).
• RuhrtalRadwegminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 January 2020KNAPPSCHAFT and the RuhrtalRadweg (Ruhr Valley Cycling Route) partnership was continued in 2020. KNAPPSCHAFT sponsors the 240km cycling route and integrates health promotion and preventive health messaging along the route, promoting cycling as a health activity to its insured members.
• EmschergenossenschaftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKNAPPSCHAFT partnered with the Emschergenossenschaft on the 'Gesund an der Emscher!' (Healthy along the Emscher!) initiative. The project combines environmental river restoration (Emscher river reconstruction) with health promotion, installing outdoor fitness and movement stations along the 80km Emscher cycling and walking path.
• Deutscher Kinderschutzbund (DKSB)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerKNAPPSCHAFT and the Deutscher Kinderschutzbund jointly operate the prevention project 'Hackedicht – Schultour der Knappschaft' (anti-drug school tour). The initiative visits schools to educate children and adolescents about substance abuse prevention. Running since 2019 with the 10th edition completed by 2022.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IKK classic: Largest Innungskrankenkasse and a direct statutory-health-insurance competitor to KNAPPSCHAFT. Operates under identical GKV regulatory framework, with overlapping member segments and comparable digital-service investments.
• Techniker Krankenkasse (TK): Germany's largest statutory health insurer by member count (~12M). Directly comparable to KNAPPSCHAFT as a federal-level Ersatzkasse competing for voluntary members under the same statutory framework, with similar product structure and pricing constraints.
• Barmer: Major German statutory health insurer (~8.5M members) competing head-to-head with KNAPPSCHAFT for voluntary enrollment nationwide. Same statutory pricing model, similar product set, and overlapping B2B employer-services offerings make it a direct comparable.
• Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund: The federal German Pension Insurance carrier and direct peer to KBS's pension-insurance division. Operates under the same statutory framework (Deutsche Rentenversicherung system) and administers the bulk of statutory pension contributions in Germany.
• DAK-Gesundheit: Large federal statutory health insurer offering the same income-based contribution structure as KNAPPSCHAFT and competing for the same voluntary-member pool. Comparable scale, digital maturity, and product breadth.
• BG Kliniken (Berufsgenossenschaftliche Kliniken): Statutory occupational-injury hospital network — analogous to KBS in being a public-law healthcare provider with an integrated clinic footprint and historical statutory mandate. Comparable on ownership/governance structure and rehabilitation focus.

Broad incumbents

• AOK-Bundesverband: Federal association of the AOK regional sickness funds, the largest German statutory health-insurance group (~27M members). Competes with KNAPPSCHAFT on voluntary enrollment and operates an even broader regional branch network, making it the dominant incumbent peer.
• Asklepios Kliniken: One of Germany's largest private hospital groups, operating acute-care and rehabilitation facilities. Directly comparable to KBS's owned-and-affiliated clinic footprint and stakeholder model in 8 hospital companies.
• Helios (Fresenius): Germany's largest private hospital operator (~90 hospitals). Comparable to KBS on the clinic-and-hospital side of the business — same inpatient and rehabilitation service categories, though purely a provider rather than an integrated payer.

Regional players

• DKV Deutsche Krankenversicherung: Germany's largest private health insurer, with an existing strategic cooperation agreement with KNAPPSCHAFT (signed 2022). Comparable product category (health insurance) but operates in the private/statutory complementary segment rather than direct statutory competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kbs-knappschaft-bahn-see-gesch.st.-unna

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Knappschaft Bahn See