AOK and IKK Southwest agree merger

AOK Saarland, AOK Rhineland-Palatinate and IKK Südwest agree on a merger. The new health insurance company will in future bear the name AOK-IKK Südwest.

20.12.2010

Two general local health insurance funds, the AOK Rhineland-Palatinate and the AOK Saarland have agreed with the IKK Südwest a merger. The three health insurance companies want to merge at the beginning of the new year. Thus, the newly created health insurance will cover approximately 1.9 million people together.

According to Rhineland-Palatinate Health Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD), three health insurance companies will form a joint merger in 2011. The Minister called the first October 2011 as the expected merger date. The new fund should then be named „AOK IKK Southwest“ carry. In total, around 1.9 million people will be cared for in the new health insurance scheme.

Many statutory health insurance companies are currently trying to position themselves much better by merging with the health insurance market. However, a speaker of the AOK Saarland emphasized that neither the two local health insurance funds nor the guild health insurance IKK are economically and financially damaged. The intention was simply to bundle competencies better through the merger in order to be able to prepare for the upcoming intensified competition in the future. According to the spokesman, the AOK-IKK Südwest is to be connected to the Federal Association of the AOK. The new fund is expected to start in October 2011. However, further negotiations are still required. A final decision will be made by the board of directors in the summer of 2011. Then the boards of directors of the three health insurance companies are re-elected. The newly elected directors must then once again agree to the merger. The decision of the supervisory and antitrust authorities is also pending. Here, however, the decision should be made before the vote in the summer.

So far no additional contribution planned
Until the merger of the AOK-IKK Südwest, the insured of the three health insurance companies can adjust to having to pay any additional contributions. Contrary to the general trend, all three funds generated a total surplus of around one million euros. Because of this fact, the AOK spokesman announced that additional contributions are initially excluded due to the stable economic situation. 16 other health insurance companies are currently making an additional contribution. The additional contributions are also frowned upon by the health insurances, as it has been shown that many after collecting the additional contributions, the health insurance company from the special right of termination. However, health economists assume that in future additional contributions due to the rising costs in the health sector will be nationwide. First, most health insurances will be able to offset their deficits by increasing contributions as part of health care reform from 2011 onwards.

Merger has a positive effect
The chairman of the board of the AOK Rhineland-Palatinate Walter Bockemühl told the Südwestfunk, the merger has a positive effect for the insured and employers alike. The merger is going to be one compared to the other coffers „excellent insured structure“ to accomplish. This ensures economic stability, says Bockemühl. If the merger is completed, the new health insurance is anchored not only regionally but also nationwide. With around 1.9 million members, the AOK-IKK Südwest will be one of the twelve largest statutory health insurance companies in Germany.

The fund will have after the merger their new headquarters in Eisenberg in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. According to the Minister of Health, the AOK-IKK Südwest will employ around 4,700 people. As the health insurance fund is much better positioned after the merger, the AOK-IKK Südwest will not only be better anchored regionally, but also nationwide in health policy terms, and will therefore be perceived much better.

For the insured, nothing changes after the merger. Health benefits and amounts will remain the same. The health insurance companies will inform their members about the merger in advance. It can be assumed that after the merger, the insured cards will gradually be converted to the new cash register name. (Sb)

Also read:
BKK Dr. med. Oetker does not want to make any additional contributions
Additional contributions change health insurance

Image: Logo AOK