Barmer GEK does not want to charge any additional fees

The statutory health insurance Barmer GEK promises this year to raise any additional contributions.

(15.07.2010) The largest statutory health insurance company "Barmer GEK" does not want to charge additional contributions from its insured persons this year. The health insurance is Germany's largest SHI. Around 8.5 million members have health insurance with Barmer.

Despite the opposite trend of many health insurances, the Barmer wants to raise this year no lump sum additional contributions from its members. As the Barmer announced, this decision should be seen as an "immediate response to health care reform". Because the health insurance company continues to see a need for correction to the health care reform. According to the "Thüringer Allgemeine Zeitung", the board of directors had gone ahead. According to a spokesman for the Barmer, the health insurance is thus a "pioneer among the major health insurance companies in Germany".

To demand no additional contributions from the members, is a "direct consequence of the small health care reform", which envisages an increase in cash contributions to 15.5 percent from 2011. In addition, according to the plans of the Federal Government in the future, the collection and amount of additional contributions at the discretion of the health insurance companies. A Barmer spokesman explained that, however, it continues to hold that there should be a "overhaul of the health compromise".

As late as May of this year, it looked as if the Barmer GEK wanted to raise additional contributions from its members. At that time, a spokesman said: "This year it depends on whether further cost-cutting measures take effect, for example in the pharmaceutical sector". And "at the moment the situation must be reassessed from month to month". By raising the cash contributions, an additional contribution has apparently been spared the members. In addition, an additional contribution carries the risk that many insured people turn their backs on the health insurance. Thus the deficit of the health insurance would increase further. (Sb)

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