Contributions of the private health insurance rise

The premium adjustments of the private health insurance are from 2011 higher, than with the legal health insurance companies. On average, PKV insured persons have to pay about seven percent more.

31/12/2010

The premium adjustments of private health insurance in the coming year will be higher than those of the statutory health insurance funds. According to an analysis of the analysts Morgan & Morgan, the contributions to private health insurance will increase from 2011 by an average of seven percent, the statutory health insurance by about four percent.

Such a significant increase in the insured premiums did not yet exist in this form in the history of the Federal Republic. Despite numerous concessions from the black and yellow federal government, insurance providers of private health insurances will have to increase their contributions by a whopping seven percent on average. The Morgan & Morgan analysts have calculated this rate of increase on the basis of the planned new contracts for the individual tariffs for the coming year. For this they compared the currently existing contracts, with the policies that are offered in 2011. Such a high rate of increase of new contracts has not yet existed in this form. Over the last ten years, the average increase in contributions has been around four to five percent.

Demographic change is increasing contributions
Like legal persons, private individuals also suffer from changing social conditions. Due to demographic change, people are getting older and older, and thus the time of the insurance claim is extended. But especially in old age, the health insurance, in the legal as in the private. The older the insured become, the more often and longer they will also need medical care. A second important reason is the rising health care costs. Despite all the austerity measures, the costs for hospital treatments are rising, doctors are demanding ever-higher fees, and medical science is developing ever more modern and effective therapies that are also becoming more and more expensive.

Now, in principle, private health insurance does not have the possibility of claiming tax funds in times of crisis. Cost reductions are largely denied PKV. Agreed service packages can not simply be withheld from the insured, otherwise the terms of the contract will be broken. Nevertheless, the Federal Government has tried by various means, the PKV under the arms. For example, the access conditions for employees with a relatively high income are significantly simplified. From 2011, employees can more easily switch from legal to private. At the turn of the year, the so-called three-year earnings limit is limited to one year. Employees therefore only have to earn a gross amount of € 4,162.50 over the mandatory insurance limit of one year. On the many benefits also pointed out the health expert of the CSU, John Singhammer. In an interview with the daily newspaper „The world“ criticized the politician's contribution adjustments. The higher contributions are above all a higher burden for civil servants and pensioners, who have a lower income. The Federal Government had implemented some cornerstones to improve the situation of private health insurance. Nevertheless, the private health insurance wants to increase their contributions, which meets with clear misunderstanding within the coalition.

Despite the future increasing contributions, the private health insurance adheres to propagate to the outside, in comparison to the statutory health insurance a financial „healthy insurance“ to be. But to what extent is the PKV still „healthy“, even accepting government-imposed compulsory drug discounts Even in the near past, private health insurance had always rejected state intervention. After all, they wanted to be fundamentally different from the legal and therefore do not need the help of the state.

Age provisions are at risk
The basic principle of PKV financial security is the provision for old-age insurance. However, health economists have been warning for some time that old-age provision can cover only part of the rising health costs. The PKV is therefore in a dilemma. On the one hand, the contributions should not rise to the limit, because then a significant part of the attractiveness is lost. On the other hand, the call for state support is a contradiction to the existence of the private. For unlike the legal PKV does not understand the overall social solidarity principle, but represents an economically oriented business enterprise dar. Nevertheless, the industry calls for benefits that is actually withheld only the statutory health insurance. Thus, demands of the industry were loud, after in the future also the PKV after the example of the GKV with the clinics and physicians directly negotiate prices and achievements.

The insurance industry is also booming. Recently, the HUK-Coburg chairman called for a fundamental reform of private health insurance. The CEO Dr. Ing. Hans Olav Herøy had criticized at a symposium of the Association of Business Economists for Insurance in Cologne, that the PKV the „medical inflation“ disregard the provisions for old age. The contributions are determined according to the current state of knowledge. The advancement of medicine and thus the increase in health care costs are hardly considered. However, this lack of calculation is in contradiction to the always newly launched entry-level tariffs in order to recruit new customers. On the other hand, old customers with increasing age and within closed tariffs must pay ever higher contributions to compensate for the expenses.

PKV continues to rely on support from the Federal Government
But the industry seems to continue to rely on the energetic support of the black and yellow federal government. The difference between private and statutory health insurance will increasingly be blurred in the future. Thus, the independence of the state crumbles on all corners and edges. Finally, the question of a right of existence of the private health insurance may be asked if insurance companies are dependent on legislative packages and support from the state. For this reason, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) recently called for the abolition of private health insurance in favor of solidary citizens' insurance. But such proposals reject the coalition. The CSU politician Singhammer keeps the private health insurance, despite all problems continue to be sustainable. However, private health insurance should consider lowering administrative costs and revising the model of new customer premiums. According to the health expert, so increasing contributions can be prevented. (Sb)

Also read:
PKV increases its contributions from 2011
Federal Government: billions for the PKV
SPD wants to reverse the health care reform

Picture: Gerd Altmann / Gerold Meiners