BKK for health professionals AOK announces talks

BKK for Health Professions: AOK Hamburg / Rheinland announces talks

10/18/2011

For the distressed BKK for health professions, the hopes for a speedy rescue are dwindling dramatically. If the AOK Hamburg / Rheinland had announced to undertake a merger under certain conditions, now also these discussions burst. The AOK CEO Wilfried Jacobs told the Rhenish Post that the BKK Heilberufe is in one „extremely difficult situation“. For this reason, the fund will not submit an offer for a merger. In advance, other potential partners had already jumped. While a health insurance fund in the group of company health insurance funds (BKK) canceled after the first merger talks, the BKK group no longer declared itself ready to guarantee a sufficient financial aid.

Closure of the BKK for health professionals unavoidable
The BKK für Heilberufe will now face the same fate as the already closed City BKK. "We are now preparing for closure," said spokesman Kasse, Ulrich Rosendahl. At present, there is still a hearing before the Federal Insurance Office. The trial will be completed by the end of October. If no partner has been found for a merger by October 26, the supreme treasury will decide on the final closure of the BKK for health professionals. The cash register would then have to close by the end of 2011. The remaining members would have to look for a new health insurance.

Currently, most of the 120,000 insured (79,000 contributors) of the BKK for health professions would be loyal, says the spokesman. If the BKK announces a closure for health professionals, the insured persons do not have to cancel this case. Only when the decision is official, the health insurance will write to their members and draw attention to the closure. "Then our customers have time in November and December to find a new cash register," said the spokesman.

But time might be running out. As with the City BKK, the BKK insures an above-average number of older and chronically ill patients. Although the law states that all statutory health insurance companies are required to accept the new insured, but again could cause problems. At the time of the closure of City BKK numerous health insurance companies had tried to get rid of new applications already on the phone. The reason: The health insurance feared a so-called boom-ring effect, because they are afraid of a change in the membership structure. If there are few paying but many costly elderly and seriously ill people in a health insurance fund, the allocations of the health fund are no longer sufficient. If, due to this, additional contributions have to be established, many will change their health insurance. AoK Hamburg / Rheinland wants one so that the insured can experience no problems with the change „Special consulting services“ set up. This will be opened as soon as it is officially known that „the BKK Heilberufe is closed“, said Jacobs.

Future of employees still uncertain
The closure would also affect the remaining 240 employees. Depending on the number of members, the AOK would like to take over according to employees. BKK Essanelle, based in Düsseldorf, also announced that it would submit job offers. Here, too, one orientates oneself to the actual number of insured persons. (Sb)

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Picture: Chris Beck