Medical rehabilitation practice differs substantially among European countries. In most countries, rehabilitation is predominantly carried out on an outpatient basis. It is funded by health care, and rehabilitation facilities are not very specialized in terms of specific indications. In contrast, medical rehabilitation in Germany is mostly carried out on an in-patient basis as a contained 3‑week treatment. European law and European policies merely have an indirect impact on rehabilitation practice in Germany. In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of the various forms of rehabilitation services are discussed.