Electronic health card distributed until 2014

By mid-2014 all insured persons should have received a new electronic health card

07/16/2012

Since the end of last year, the first electronic health cards have been delivered to the insured. By the end of the year, the statutory health insurance funds want to have equipped about 70 percent with the new health card. Larger funds report that they have already distributed about 50 percent of the new cards to their members.

The new electronic health card replaces the old health insurance card step by step. The major project has already been planned for eight years. It was not until the end of 2011 that the starting signal was given for distributing the cards. By the end of the year, around 50 million health insured persons in Germany will be holding their new insurance card in their hands. The costs are estimated by experts at over one billion euros. The development costs alone amounted to about 600 million euros according to official figures. The last extrapolation of the Ministry of Health is based on a total amount of around 1.6 billion euros.

However, a nationwide distribution with full functionality is not planned until 2015. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the insured data should be updated online in mid-2014 for the first time.

90 percent of doctor's offices equipped with readers
Only a few medical practices had a new reading device last year, so the network with new devices is now expected to have increased to 90 percent of all established doctors, dentists and clinics. In order to exert pressure on the coffers, a decree has been issued by the Federal Ministry of Health under threat of fines, so that all health insurances reach a distribution rate of at least 10 percent by the end of the year. According to the state of health report of the Ministry of Health, all health insurances have this objective „fulfilled without problems.“ Now, the health insurance funds to meet by the end of this year, a distribution rate of health cards of 70 percent. „Also this goal would be easily fulfilled according to the current state of affairs“, as it was called.

Distribution completed by mid-2014
The distribution campaign should be completed by mid-2014. From this point on, data can also be changed online, which was previously only possible through the exchange of the health insurance card. In the future, it should also be possible to save organ donation readiness, findings, medical reports and prescriptions on the card.

The large health insurance companies offer their insured extra online portals, so that they can upload their passport photos unconventionally. These and other offers have led to the fact that most larger cash registers can fulfill their quota in perspective well. For example, a spokesman for the Techniker Krankenkasse stated that as many as 47 percent of those insured were already equipped with the new health card. The Barmer GEK reported a rate of about 50 percent. The return rate of the sent letters with passport photos is very high, so the cash register. The Federal Association of the general local health insurance AOK reported, however, from a 40 percent coverage.

New health card is well received
More and more insured accept the new card well. In 2009, 40 percent of health insurance patients were critical of the electronic health card. Meanwhile, the approval has risen to 70 percent. (Sb)

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Picture: Sample card of the BKK