DAK for a new form of health insurance competition

The DAK Gesundheit demands a new start in the competition of the statutory health insurance (GKV). The envisaged reform should bring more quality and efficiency in the care of the insured. An independent health insurance budget for research and development should therefore make financial innovations possible.

Changes in competition among health insurance companies demanded. (Image: Tim Reckmann / pixelio.de)

Competition is not an end in itself
The health insurance DAK health wants to reform according to a message from the news agency dpa, the current mainly aimed at the price competition among the statutory funds. As the DAK CEO Herbert Rebscher said on Monday in Berlin, the competition is not an end in itself, but the search for better supply contracts must have the goal. According to a press release from the fund, a pure price competition is currently taking place, which in particular provides incentives for the 80 percent of the mostly healthy, young insured to save money and thereby financially weaken the solidarity system. "A solidary health insurance can not exist in the offer of individual tariffs and medically partly questionable statute benefits", so Rebscher. "This deprives the system funds that are urgently needed for the care of the chronically ill."

Health insurance budget for research and development
A separate health insurance budget for research and development is proposed by the DAK, which should make financial innovations possible. According to an expert opinion of the IGES institute, 0.5 percent of the total premium income in statutory health insurance (GKV) is mentioned as an order of magnitude. This would currently amount to around 920 million euros. The money is said to come from the health fund. The individual health insurance companies should decide on the use itself. According to the information, it is the goal to reduce the sometimes high surpluses for healthy insured and use in favor of patient care. (Ad)