City BKK members can not find a new health insurance

City BKK: Insured can not find a new health insurance

10.05.2011

On the first of July 2011 the health insurance City BKK will be closed. Until then all insured persons have to look for a new health insurance fund. For many, especially elderly and sick members, the bankruptcy fund is the search for a new health insurance to a veritable odyssey. With dubious claims, individual health insurance companies try to dispel membership requests. There are now complaints from more than eleven health insurance companies, but the unreported figure is likely to be much higher.

The search for a new health insurance fund should actually be trouble-free. In any case, this is always the policy that implies the closure of the company health insurance fund „City BKK“ welcomed, because it „an expression of competition in the health system“ be. The City BKK had to give up and had financial problems for several reasons. A major reason for the impending bankruptcy was the high proportion of older and chronically ill patients in the membership structure. It is precisely those insured who are unpopular with the coffers, because the expenses usually outweigh the revenues.

Adventurous claims to deter the insured
The competition in the statutory health insurance system is now being felt by the former City-BKK insured. Insured would have already „complained about eleven health insurance“, City BKK spokesman Torsten Nowak said. With some adventurous claims, some insurances try to exempt the insured. This is "an absolute absurdity" and must be immediately "urgently stopped", urged Nowak. After all, there is a general, anchored right to be able to switch to a different health insurance in case of closure. Nowak reports to the Tagesspiegel that some coffers claim, „they are already full“. Others say the treatments currently in progress can only be continued if the requisitioners switch to a company health insurance fund. Only these would continue to bear the cost of therapy. Of course, all these statements are untrue.

The first complaints were received when it became known last week that the City BKK closes on the first of July 2011. But since only now the official cover letter went out to the approximately 168,000 members of the treasury, it can be assumed that the number of complaints will continue to increase. Because the older members are not told about the closure from the Internet, but because of the letter.

AOK, Barmer GEK and HEK are apparently teeming with inquiries
According to information from the Berliner Tagesspiegel, large health insurances such as the AOK or Barmer GEK are involved in the Abwimmel strategy. For inquiries City BKK members were referred to the very limited opening hours, service employees demanded exaggerated and sometimes unnecessary evidence or made it clear at the outset that they would be better off in a cashier's office. The legal obligation to take City BKK insured upon request, was aware of the employees, said a spokesman for the Barmer. One would definitely act according to the legal requirements. In Berlin alone, the City BKK has around 92,000 insured persons.

Other health insurances (we reported) apparently try to use various methods to prevent insured persons from applying for admission. According to a report of the "Financial Times Germany", especially older insured persons were systematically abated. To be prepared for the onslaught, they have set up a service hotline specifically for City BKK members at the Hanseatic health insurance company HEK. Here, too, the requesting parties were informed that the admission of a BKK was more expedient. The reason given was that HEK could no longer make the usual drug available due to other discount agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers. Anyone who is also in need of care, must also expect a new test and sometimes with a less favorable opinion on the care level.

At the HEK, a spokesperson stresses that one would not reject membership. Very well each health insurance company has a duty of consultation, which is also followed by the HEK, as Torsten Kafka, vice-chancellor of the health insurance emphasizes. It also belongs to that „possible disadvantages“ to draw attention that could occur when switching to the HEK. However, drug appointments or checks of the care level are also possible without changing the health insurance fund.

Affected persons should report
Health insurance companies, to which City BKK members wanted to change, would only have to "get the application for admission and nothing more," said Nowak. Anyone who experiences the utterances described on the phone should write down the name, the individual utterances and the time. This is the only way to understand who, what, when and where said. "Then at least we have horse and rider." said Nowak, who is committed to the members until the closure of City BKK.

The Federal Insurance Office (BVA) are already "individual complaints" before, which will now pursue, as spokesman Tobias Schmidt said to the news agency "AFP". It also confirms that individual insured the „Feel like you are not accepted“. However, this has not yet been a mass phenomenon, as the BVA spokesman emphasizes. Often it would be around „little things“ such as medical aids go.

The Federal Association of the operating funds „BKK“ advises all those affected to file an ad with the Federal Insurance Office in an emergency. The Association expect but that the „Excitement only a few days“ will stop. The selection of the health insurance companies must not be curtailed in any case. Already approved daily allowance, treatments or medical interventions would have to pay the following funds. For further questions, the City BKK has set up a hotline: 0800- 255 44 33. (sb)

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