46 health insurance companies guaranteed without additional contribution

Forty-six health insurances want to make do without additional contribution in 2011. Another 33 funds want to try it at least.

A total of 46 statutory health insurance companies have expressly excluded any further additional contributions from their insured persons in 2011. Another 33 health insurance companies are trying to make at least without additional contributions, but do not want to commit themselves in their statements. In Germany there are a total of 160 health insurance companies. Around eleven million people are affected by additional contributions.

Just 46 health insurances were able to exclude categorically for the year 2011, the collection of additional contributions. To the health insurance companies without additional contribution belong for example the large technician health insurance or the grown AOK Rheinland / Hamburg. But even small health insurance companies such as the company health insurance SBK want to get along without additional contributions. The result was determined by the consumer portal „krankenkassen.de“. According to the results of the survey, another 33 health insurances indicated that at least for the financial year 2011 they were trying to avoid making lump-sum contributions. Nevertheless, they did not want to make any promises, but wait and see whether additional contributions can be avoided. In the survey, however, only a total of 115 funds were surveyed, in Germany, however, there are 160 statutory insurers.

The surveyed health insurance company claims to be able to prevent additional contributions, since the general contribution rate of the statutory health insurance will rise from 14.9 to 15.5 percent from 1 January 2011. The planned savings as part of the health care reform would also help to ease the financial situation. According to health economists, a deficit in the health fund of around 11 billion euros is expected for 2011. The planned savings and the increase in the contribution rate, however, can largely fill the financial hole.

About eleven million people are currently affected by the additional contributions. About 16 health insurance companies are already making an additional contribution. Since the introduction most of the funds had to fight with a heavy loss of members. Especially willing to change the German employee health insurance (DAK), the KKH alliance and the BKK health were affected. The BKK health alone lost about 20 percent of its members. By the right of termination changed many insured their health insurance. For this reason, such additional contributions are not particularly attractive to insurers. It is estimated that about 2 million people have changed since then. Further hundreds of thousands deny the payment of additional contributions in protest or ignorance.

If a health insurance company raises an additional contribution, members can exercise their special termination right within two months of notification. The association "GVI" points out, however, that one should first examine exactly which health insurance company offers which health service and which health insurance may later charge an additional contribution. (sb, 21.10.2010)

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