36. Which measure ensures social security in Germany?

Answer options

1. health insurance
2. car insurance
3. building insurance
4. liability insurance

Explanation

The Basic Law’s social-state principle (Art. 20(1), Art. 28(1) GG) obliges the state to institutionalize protection against social risks, chiefly through the statutory social insurance system. A core pillar is statutory health insurance (SGB V), rooted in Bismarck’s 1880s model and implementing solidarity via income-related contributions and the benefits-in-kind principle. Private insurances such as motor, building, or (private) liability insurance are instruments of private-law risk management and do not fulfill the constitutional mandate of social security. The Federal Constitutional Court has also recognized a right to a subsistence minimum consistent with human dignity; access to health care is integral to that guarantee.