City BKK customers on an insurance search

City BKK customers on an insurance search: Thoroughly check the selection of the new health insurance

24/05/2011

The insolvency of City BKK continues to cause concern. Housing the almost 170,000 former City BKK customers remains a topic of discussion in both politics and statutory health insurance. Until July, the insured of the insolvent City BKK still have time to look for a new health insurance. Although the statutory health insurance companies are in principle obligated to accept every applicant, in the past week numerous City BKK customers have complained about the attempts of the health insurers to perform deflationary tests.

This unworthy treatment of the insured of the City BKK, has recently called the new Minister of Health Daniel Bahr on the plan and this causes the boards of the health insurance with sanctions to threaten if the health insurance continues to refuse to accept the City BKK insured. But the bankruptcy of City BKK has also brought another aspect back into the center of the discussion. Experts assume that at the end of the consolidation process in health care, only about 50 health insurance companies of today 150 statutory health insurance will remain. For this reason, City BKK customers should think twice about which health insurance they would like to insure in the future so as not to be confronted with the closure of their health insurance again.

Fusion wave among the health insurance funds
In general, all statutory health insurance companies are obliged to accept the former City BKK members as soon as a corresponding application for admission has been submitted. But for the approximately 168,000 insured the City BKK thoroughly examining the future health insurance may well pay, as the health insurance offer very different voluntary benefits, only some insurance companies so far levy additional contributions and especially the relatively small health insurance in the course of the upcoming mergers of one be swallowed at other health insurance or in the worst case how the City BKK could go bankrupt. Therefore, the financial situation of the health insurance should not be neglected in the selection of future health insurance, experts warn. Because especially the financially weak insurance threatened in the future, significant problems. Industry experts assume that at the end of the wave of mergers only 50 of today's 150 statutory health insurance will endure.

Differentiation feature additional contribution
A significant differentiating feature of the statutory health insurance companies today also form the additional contributions levied. While 13 health insurance companies are already making an additional contribution, the majority of statutory health insurance companies have so far made every effort to avoid the levying of additional contributions. However, according to health economists, this differentiator is expected to disappear within the next five to eight years, as it is likely that all statutory health insurances will charge an additional premium of an average of EUR 70 per month. However, significant differences in the amount of the additional contributions levied by the various health insurances are conceivable. So far, the risk of additional contributions, especially in the large health insurance companies was considered extremely low. But last week, Klaus Brandner, SPD politician and member of the Board of Directors of the United IKK, faced „World Online“ explains that „if there is no financial help“, also with the United IKK additional contributions become inevitable. The United IKK is one of the largest statutory health insurance companies in Germany with 1.6 million policyholders.

Consider the financial situation of health insurances in the selection
As the number of members, the probability of survival of health insurance companies increases, industry experts expect that the wave of mergers under the statutory health insurance will continue for a while. So as not to be confronted again with the closure of their health insurance company, City BKK customers should pay attention to the number of members who have the funds of their choice and whether an additional contribution is already levied when new health insurance is taken out. Because both factors provide relatively good indications of possible conclusions about the financial strength of the insurance. The currently noticeable uncertainty of those concerned in the search for a new health insurance, can not be remedied with such advice from health experts. Very few insured persons are interested in working through the company's business figures when choosing insurance.

Sanctions against cash managers in Abwimming attempts
Many of the former City BKK insured persons have therefore already in recent weeks turned to the offices of their preferred health insurance company and tried to obtain information in this way. But the willingness of most health insurance companies to inform the former City BKK customers and, if necessary, to accept them, was rather insufficient in the first days after the City BKK insolvency became known. According to media reports, older city BKK customers in particular were often put off by the other statutory health insurance funds. In order to prevent such events from happening again in the future, the new Minister of Health, Daniel Bahr (FDP), has come up with a new bill that will sanction the bosses of the health insurances who are shedding customers in the future. Because the statutory health insurance companies are generally obliged to accept every applicant. (Fp)

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