AOK study premium increases of 2700 euros

PKV contributions are expected to rise sharply, according to a study by the AOK: private insurers are showing results

04/05/2012

For several weeks, a bitter dispute between the private health insurance and the statutory health insurance broke out. The criticism of PKV is growing. The debate is fueled by a recent study by the Federal Association of General Local Health Insurance Funds (AOK). The Kassenverband had commissioned the management consultancy McKinsey to analyze the retirement provisions of private funds (PKV). The results showed that these appear to be insufficient and could lead to hefty tariff increases in full insurance. But private health insurance sees itself as strong as ever. After all, the new customer business was very successful last year.

Shortfall in private health insurance
According to the AOK study, there will be an underestimate of the gap between revenue and expenditure in private health insurance in the future. The analysis included anticipated demographic change, price trends among drug manufacturers, and cost increases in the medical sector (clinics, GPs). According to the calculations, a shortfall of approximately 24 billion euros is assumed. In addition, hardly any adequate interest income is achieved in the financial markets, so that from the point of view of the study, considerable shortfalls in revenue could be expected. The only way out could only be to adjust the premiums to save the retirement provisions of private insureds.

2700 Euro per year for each fully insured person
In order for PKV to survive, the commissioned institute has calculated a premium increase of around € 2,700 per year and fully insured persons. The study refers to a time course of 40 years. In the course of this, the public health insurance companies express strong criticism of the PKV. Such financial problems should not „at the end of the solidary community of the statutory insured.“ This development should therefore be stopped immediately by the policy.

PKV sees itself on the upswing
The Federal Association of Private Health Insurance contradicts the information in the study. Dr. Volker Leienbach, chairman of the Federal Association of Private Health Insurance (PKV) reports that last year about 75,100 people had changed from statutory health insurance to private health insurance. Thus, the number of private insured increased to 8.89 million people in Germany. Overall, the industry recorded an increase of around 90,000 new customers in full insurance. In addition, according to the PKV boss, unlike the GKV, the insured „change voluntarily“.

Health reforms facilitated changing conditions
However, the additional gains were made possible only by the health reforms of the black-yellow coalition. Employees were greatly facilitated the change. Instead of the three-year waiting period when the mandatory limit is exceeded, employees only have to reach the amount with their income once again in the current year. Critics claim that the federal government has simplified the bill of exchange conditions in order to strengthen the private funds' back in the crisis.

Premium increase by an average of two percent
The car chairman once again pointed out that the private health insurance rates have risen on average by only 2.0 percent. This was determined by independent industry services. Individual cases, on the other hand, are tariffs that demand between 20 and 60 percent higher premium payments. In addition, the rising health costs would not only hit the PKV, but „both insurance systems alike, whereby the private health insurance with its funded aging provisions prepared far better“ be. Leienbach reports that the capital cover currently amounts to 150 billion euros. Especially for the care of the financial reserves are important. (Sb)

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Health insurance: What changes 2016351a2cc0b08c03> Image: Sara Hegewald