Merger to AOK Northeast finally approved

Association of AOK Northeast

Merger with AOK Nordost finally approved: New giant health insurance AOK Nordost starts in January 2011

07/12/2010

The merger of the AOK Berlin-Brandenburg with the AOK Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to the general local health insurance AOK Nordost from 01 January 2011 is a done deal. The Health Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig (SPD), and her Brandenburg counterpart Anita Tack (left) yesterday announced the approval of the regulatory authorities of the countries to merge the two health insurance companies.

AOK Northeast will have 1.8 million members
Yesterday, the two responsible health ministers handed over to the chairman of the board of the AOK Berlin-Brandenburg and the AOK Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in Berlin the approval notices for the merger of the health insurances to AOK Nordost. At the same time, the ministers signed an administrative agreement to ensure future cooperation. The headquarters of the AOK Nordost will henceforth form Potsdam, the legal supervision of the new AOK will lie with the state of Brandenburg. The merger will create one of the ten largest health insurance funds in Germany, with AOK Nordost now counting around 1.8 million members - 1.3 million insured members of the former AOK Berlin-Brandenburg; 475,000 of the former AOK Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Services and offices are maintained
According to the two AOKen, the range of services should remain virtually unchanged for the time being. Thus, all existing optional tariffs and the network of offices and service points with the 112 locations will continue unchanged and the insured will keep their usual contact, said the AOK Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the AOK Berlin-Brandenburg. The prevention and additional programs will continue to be offered unchanged, it was said from the direction of health insurance. In addition, with the merger, programs that had proven successful in a health insurance fund could in future be offered to all insured persons of the merged AOKs, as the health insurance companies announced on the occasion of the current permit notification. The unified AOKs will form the largest health insurance fund of the three federal states, not only in terms of members but also in terms of the number of around 5,900 employees. In future, AOK Nordost will be one of the largest employers and one of the largest training companies in the region.

AOK merger to strengthen the competitive position
With the merger, the two AOKen want to strengthen their competitive position and the designated CEO of the new AOK North East, Frank Michalak hopes „through synergies in-house, a better negotiating position towards contract partners and further membership growth (...) also in 2011 no additional contribution“ to have to raise. The Minister of Health of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Manuela Schwesig, stated in this regard that it was particularly important for insured persons in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern not to pay additional contributions in future and to continue to have a contact person in the state. Her colleague Anita Tack added that in addition the health care of the population in the sparsely populated areas must be ensured and improved. For his part, Friedrich Wilhelm Bluschke, CEO of AOK Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, emphasized that the requirements of the competition were decisive for the merger and that the merger was also an important signal for a secure future for the employees. Because “With the merger, there will be job security at the new AOK Northeast“, Blushke explained.

Industry experts consider the wave of mergers critically
With the merger of the AOK Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the AOK Berlin-Brandenburg, the wave of mergers among the statutory health insurances already awaited by all specialists continues. Thus, the number of statutory insurance has already reduced from over 230 to currently 163. For example, the AOK Berlin-Brandenburg was formed only at the beginning of the current year by the merger of the general local health insurance in Berlin and Brandenburg. The mergers are rated by industry experts, however, quite critical. Renowned experts such as Rolf Stuppardt of the Federal Association of the guilds assume that the current mergers „Little to do with health economic goals“ but primarily have the goal of achieving a systemically important size in order to force government intervention in the event of a possible bankruptcy. Similar to the banking crisis, it would be in the opinion of Rolf Stuppardt from the state side impossible to handle the newly created giant health insurance with their millions insured in a bankruptcy proceedings, so that in the event of impending bankruptcy, the state is forced to rescue the affected health insurance. (Fp)

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Fusion: Two become an AOK
New AOK Northeast planned