BVA expects more competition from the health insurance companies

The Federal Insurance Office expects more health insurance benefits as a competitive feature

12/28/2011

In the opinion of the Federal Insurance Office, competition between the statutory health insurance funds will increase sharply next year. All health insurance funds will abolish the additional contributions from the second quarter at the latest. Thus, especially the situated funds will try to attract new members with an extra offer of health services. Economic experts, on the other hand, see a decline in competition and called on politicians to cut allocations from the health fund.

The Federal Insurance Office (BVA) calculates according to own data with a strong competition of the health insurance companies, which will make itself noticeable from the turn of the year. Opposite the newspaper „world“ said the president of the supervisory authority, Maximilian Gaßner, on Tuesday: especially health insurance companies, „High reserves will try to attract members by offering non-essential services.“

The main reason for the competition with benefits is the elimination of the additional contributions as a significant differentiator of the funds. Thus, in the opinion of the BVA President, the insured will rather be a new health insurance after „Potpourri of additional services“ choose. How adequate the insurance fund is in providing care during illness plays a subordinate role. In the field of naturopathy, for example, announced the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) to finance services from the field of homeopathy from 2012, if prescribed by a doctor by prescription.

Additional contributions will be abolished for the time being
The remaining additional contribution funds want to abolish the extra contribution next year again. For example, the German Employees Health Insurance (DAK) has announced that after the merger to New Year from the first April 2012 abolish the additional contribution. The provider then acts with the title „DAK health“. After the introduction of the additional contribution, the DAK had to accept a sharp drop in membership.

Instead of the extra contribution, all health insurances will only charge the statutory income-based unit contribution of 15.5 percent. Due to the good economic situation on the labor market and numerous savings in the expenditure on pharmaceuticals, the financial situation of the funds had improved significantly. Already in the first nine months, a cash surplus of approximately 3.9 billion euros was generated in the POS system. Industry experts assume that the surplus generated for 2011 will be a maximum of 8 billion euros.

Many health economists and health insurers, however, assume that the good financial situation will not last long. Due to the expected weakening of the labor market due to the ongoing euro crisis, the revenue side will clearly wane. The Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance (GKV) expects latest 2013 additional contributions.

Federal Insurance Office wants to strictly control benefits
The Federal Insurance Office headed by Gassner announced that it would strictly control health insurance funds. In his opinion, it should not be forgotten that such services „with compulsory contributions“ would have to be financed. The supervisory authority will pay particular attention to health services that are not included in the general catalog of benefits. The minimum benefits of all health insurances are specified in the catalog. The federal government had given the cashiers more flexibility in the services offered in the newly passed pension law. These include, for example, homeopathy, artificial insemination or dental treatment.

Every tenth changed the health insurance due to additional contributions
According to a data collection of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), about one in ten health insurance patients changed their health insurance due to the additional contribution. The result of this was in part massive membership chicanes, with two smaller coffers closing in August and December this year. According to Nicolas R. Ziebarth, Hendrik Schmitz and Peter Eibich from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), the additional contributions would have ensured competition in the statutory health insurance system. In the weekly report of the DIW the experts criticize that the competition situation on the POS market has come to a standstill as a result of the gradual abolition. In her opinion, now the black-yellow coalition is encouraged to the allocations from the health fund „Reassign“. Although contributions would not have to be reduced, allocations from the health fund would be cut by two percent to 98 percent. (Sb)

Read current articles on health insurance and additional contribution:
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