BKK Hoesch requires 45 euros additional contribution

The BKK Hoesch demands an additional contribution of 45 euros per quarter.

08/02/2011

The financial situation of the company health insurance Hoesch (BKK Hoesch) does not seem to be rosy. After a merger with Novitas BKK failed, now declared the BKK Hoesch treasurer on Friday, one would have to introduce an additional contribution of 15 € per month. The additional payments should, however, be made quarterly. The levied lump sum does not only apply to the future, but is also to apply retroactively until the beginning of the year. Affected parties can now make use of the statutory special right of termination.

Around 90,000 health insurance affected
A total of 90,000 health insured persons of BKK Hoesch are affected by the new additional contribution. By February 24, you want to inform all insured that the health insurance has to set up an additional contribution. The estimated amount will be 15 euros per month. However, BKK Hoesch did not want to pay the additional fee on a monthly basis, but on a quarterly basis. This means that the additional contribution has to be paid every three months by every member of the fund at 45 Euro each. The amount is due on the 10th of the second month of each quarter. The first payment is already on March 25, 2011, because the BKK Hoesch collects the additional contribution also retroactively for the first quarter of 2011. This means that the additional contribution will not only apply in future, but retroactively until the beginning of the year.

Special termination after additional contribution announcement
After the first announcement of an additional contribution by the health insurance, those affected have the opportunity to make use of their special right of termination. Insured persons of the BKK Hoesch can change the health insurance up to the day of the first due date of the additional contribution. Within this time, a new health insurance must have been found. In order to terminate the health insurance, a cancellation must be made by post in writing. In the meantime the insured person has to take care of a new health insurance independently. Currently, the requirements for a change are good, because only a minority of health insurance companies currently levies additional contributions. For example, insured persons have a good chance of finding a new health insurance company that will not make an additional contribution at least this year and still has a good range of services and spectrum.

BKK hopes for a limited time
The health insurance board Uwe Gehring stressed, the additional contribution was necessary, because in the last year so-called „off effects“ entered. These effects would have caused a financial deficit of around € 12 million, which could not be sufficiently balanced despite the health fund's allocations. The Federal Insurance Office had also exerted pressure on the health insurance in advance, so that now the Board decided to take this step. At the same time, the BKK Hoesch created a consolidation concept to make cost savings. The Management Board and the Board of Directors assume that the company fund thus has a good chance of limiting the additional contribution to only one year. Reductions in health care benefits are also not planned. For example, cashier Uwe Gehring assured that all additional care and health services as well as the bonus system should be maintained.

In the course of the health care reform, the statutory health insurance funds were allowed to determine the amount of the additional contribution itself. Previously, the additional contribution was capped by law. Experts assume that the additional contributions will act as a so-called head lump sum, because soon almost every health insurance company will be affected by additional contributions. The coffers themselves say that increasing the regular contribution rate to 15.5 percent has often avoided an additional contribution for 2011. It will be exciting next year when the new business figures are available. However, demographic change means that health economists are anticipating an increase in health care costs. (Sb)

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Picture credits: Andreas Morlok