Excessive savings efforts of the health insurance companies

Statutory health insurance: No reduction of contributions possible

04/07/2011

The savings efforts of the statutory health insurance companies (GKV) are sometimes significantly overdrawn. So the statement of Maximilian Gaßner, President of the Federal Insurance Office, compared to the „Berlin newspaper“. In addition, Gaßner said that despite the surplus expected in the Health Fund of around € 6.9 billion this year, there is no scope for contribution reductions.

As a supervisory authority, the Federal Insurance Office also monitors statutory health insurance and points out possible undesirable developments at an early stage. The President of the Federal Insurance Office has now criticized the exaggerated saving efforts of some health insurance companies. Although it is quite commendable that the health insurance with the introduction of the health fund „a significantly sharpened cost awareness“ have developed, but some austerity measures are in the view of Maximilian Gaßner exaggerated and rather counterproductive.

Austerity measures of the health insurance companies often exaggerated
Since the introduction of the health fund, the statutory health insurance companies convert every euro twice and at least partially save it „at one point or another, where it would be more reasonable if they were to make certain expenditures“, explained the President of the Federal Insurance Office. For example, the austerity measures in the services for disease prevention and in the so-called selective contracts are rather counterproductive, said Maximilian Gaßner. The selective contracts form an option for the health insurance companies to negotiate with doctors or other service providers special treatment methods, which are provided in addition to the normal cash benefits. Here the saving efforts would not only weaken the competitive situation of the health insurance companies, but also produce higher costs in the long term. Therefore, the statutory health insurance should not blindly save in all areas, but to examine exactly where savings make sense and where not, the President of the Federal Insurance Office warns.

Additional contributions so far problematic as a competitive instrument
With regard to the additional contributions, Gaßner explained that they are not yet effective as an effective and realistic competitive instrument. The insured would distinguish primarily between health insurance with and without additional contributions, what „a strong but wrong reaction“ triggering. Because with average contribution levels of 300 euros per month, an additional contribution of eight euros per month would be negligible, but the insured would perceive this differently. Each health insurance company which has so far collected an additional contribution had to accept substantial losses of members, explained the President of the Federal Insurance Office. However, this flight of members can aggravate the financial difficulties of the health insurance companies concerned, added Gaßner. This would require an increase in the additional contributions, which may again result in membership losses. The affected health insurance companies threaten to get caught in a vicious circle of ever higher additional contributions and massive loss of members, at the end of which, in the worst case, a bankruptcy of the health insurance company. Even in the current bankruptcy of City BKK this vicious circle played a significant role.

No margin for contribution cuts
Furthermore, the President of the Federal Insurance Office said that, despite the good economic situation, there was no room for a reduction in cash contributions. Although the surplus in the health fund is expected to increase to around € 6.9 billion in the current year, Maximilian Gaßner warned against using it for possible contribution reductions. There is no scope for a reduction in contributions, as two billion euros would be needed for the hardship provision for the additional contributions and three billion euros for the legal reserve, said Gassner compared to the „Berlin newspaper“. In addition, the accrued in the wake of the financial crisis in 2009 deficit of 2.48 billion euros from the available surplus must be adjusted, the President of the Federal Insurance Office on. Given these figures, therefore, there is no option to reduce contributions. (Fp)