MwSt on health insurance and pension payments

Is VAT included in these monthly payments for those of us who are selbständigkeit and make our own payments to our health insurance provider and the state pension fund. Or are both VAT exempt.

no, there is no VAT on insurances.

Cheerio

Some insurances like house insurance or Haftpflicht (however neither health, pension or life do) carry a Steuer, however it's not the Mehrwertsteuer (MwSt.) you could get back if you're self-employed, but a Versicherungssteuer you cannot get back. Some insurance types carry Versicherungssteuer of 19% (same rate as VAT), so I understand what got you thinking. Doesn't seem fair, but that's the way it is.
Versicherungsteuer: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versicherungsteuer
which insurances carry which Versicherungssteuer: http://www.arbeitsgemeinschaft-finanzen.de...rungssteuer.php

I was talking about this earlier tonight. Healthcare, pensions etc are essential things that the state wants / needs us to have. So there can't be "value added" in providing them to us (as suggested by at least the UK equivalent VAT). I recall from decades ago that these "goods" have a name in economic theory but can't remember it right now ("merit goods"??).

Of course, the "fairness" or not of various rates where they are imposed may reflect degrees of being essential (or not).