Imminent closure of the BKK for health professionals

BKK for health professionals shortly before the bankruptcy

10/11/2011

Again and again in the past financial difficulties of the BKK for health professions were reported. Due to the existing liquidity problems, the ailing health insurance company has been looking for months for a possible merger partner. But any merger negotiations so far did not succeed. Apparently, the financial risk to the other health insurance companies was always too large. The „Financial Times Germany“ Therefore, the BKK for health professions had already prophesied the bankruptcy at the end of May, should no merger partner be found.

After the last contemplated merger partner, the Bochum BKK on site, has also excluded a possible merger with the BKK for health professionals, the closure of the distressed health insurance has come a good deal closer, reported a spokesman for the BKK for health professionals in Dusseldorf. Thus, after the City BKK the second statutory health insurance would have to cease its operation because of financial difficulties. More than one hundred thousand insured would have to look for a new health insurance, which should bring with similar course as with the City BKK considerable difficulties.

120,000 insured would need a new health insurance
Today, the BKK Federal Association is advised in a special meeting on possible alternatives to rescue the BKK for health professionals, but should find no solution, a closure at the turn of the last option, the spokesman explained the ailing health insurance. The insolvency of the BKK for health professions must be decided on by the Federal Insurance Office, but this would remain given the liquidity problems of the BKK for health professionals no choice. According to the information provided by the cashier, the Federal Insurance Office will decide on the closure of the BKK für Heilberufe by 2 November of this year at the latest. The 120,000 insured the health insurance would have in the event of bankruptcy from the coming year looking for a new insurance and the remaining 150 employees would lose their jobs. In view of the looming difficulties, the BKK had already given 90 redundancies to health care professionals in September.

All fusion models failed because of the money
For months, the health insurance companies have been discussing different ways of saving the ailing BKK for health professionals, but in the end, all of the proposed merger models failed. Also, the BKK on site had expected for the merger with the BKK for health professionals from the other health insurance companies in the group of company health insurance funds, a financial support over 53 million euros. However, that was „Handelsblatt“ Many other health insurance companies are not willing to provide unconditional merger assistance. Since the financial requirements were also significantly higher than originally assumed, the BKK decided on-site not to hold on to the merger, so the statement in a the „Handelsblatt“ present letter from the BKK Federal Association. For its part, the BKK für Heilberufe had repeatedly pointed out in vain that a takeover for the other company health insurance funds would still be much cheaper than the impending insolvency.

As in the case of the City BKK, which was closed in June, the cause of BKK's financial difficulties for health professionals is, besides structural problems, above all the introduction of additional contributions. After the health insurance first additional contributions levied to free themselves from the financial predicament, more and more members left the insurance and left behind disproportionately many old and sick people, which usually cause more costs than is taken by the insurance contributions. Thus, the financial difficulties have further aggravated and after all the planned mergers have burst, the insolvency remains as a last resort. The placement of the insured in a new health insurance company at the City BKK causes massive difficulties, not least because the other statutory health insurance companies rolled them in the change of insurance major obstacles in the way. Similar problems could now threaten the insured of the BKK for health care professions in the event of insolvency. (Fp)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann / Carlsberg1988