Entitlements to social health benefits for asylum seekers and refugees in Germany

In recent years, public attention has increasingly focused on the issue of medical care for foreigners in Germany. ¹ This focus stems from both the extent to which refugees require medical care and the recurring discussion of the social assistance granted to nationals of other EU Member States. There are complicated legal questions behind these rather political debates. Frequently, the question arises as to who is responsible for the costs of medical treatment, but a prior question is whether a foreigner is in fact given access to medical services at all.