Strong criticism for black and red box office reform

Experts expect higher costs for insured persons

03/27/2014

The bill passed on Wednesday by the black and red Cabinet bill on the financing of health insurance is heavily criticized by experts. In the medium term, this would give the statutory health insurance significantly higher loads. Employers welcomed that their share of the contribution remains limited.

Employees have to bear rising costs alone
On Wednesday, the federal government gave the green light for the financial reform of the statutory health insurance. This provides that employees must shoulder the rising costs of medical advances and the aging of the population with premium increases alone. The employer's share, however, will be fixed. According to the bill, the contribution rate to be paid by employees and employers will be 14.6 per cent from 2015 onwards. The insured persons should bear additional costs through income-related additional contributions alone, which the funds themselves can determine. A special contribution of 0.9 percentage points, which the insured had previously had to shoulder alone, should be dropped.

Many funds will probably go beyond basic amount
The contribution rate to the statutory health insurance is currently 15.5 percent. However, since the omission of the special contribution could result in financial gaps, it is not ruled out that many funds will in future exceed the basic amount of 14.6 percent. Minister of Health Gröhe and leading health economists currently assume that by no means all insurers need the previous volume of 0.9 percentage points. The minister said that 20 million citizens belonged to a fund that was financially able to stay below that rate. And others would be exactly at the current mark of 15.5 percent. Insured persons should be able to use a special right of termination in this case.

No additional flat-rate contributions
In the future, financially weak funds will no longer have the opportunity to collect lump-sum additional contributions from their members. The SPD had opposed this capitation, which corresponds to a long-standing model of the CDU. But also unions and other organizations fought against the capitation, in which, for example, a manager to pay the same contribution as a cleaning aid. Gröhe believes that the new law will make the statutory health insurance future-proof and strengthen its financial basis. Moreover, in his view, this would avoid putting jobs at risk by increasing additional wage costs. The competition between the health insurance companies will focus more on efficiency and quality in future than on price.

Health economists expect rising rates
Most health insurances will reduce their contribution, at least in the first half of 2015, thus remaining slightly below the 0.9 percentage point mark. The Munich health economist Günter Neubauer assumes this. But already in the second half of the year, many would increase the rate to over 15.5 percent. The economist told Reuters that in 2017 the average will be over 16 percent. The health economist Jürgen Wasem from Essen assumes this, „From 2016, the additional contribution will increase on average by 0.2 to 0.3 percentage points each year.“ This could be cushioned by some funds through reserves. „For 2017, I expect additional contributions of 1.3 to 1.5 percent“ said the economist, according to the „Badische Zeitung“. The Federal Insurance Office is even assuming even higher amounts.

Massive criticism from opposition parties and trade unions
There is strong criticism of the reform of health insurance contributions with income-related additional contributions. So DGB board member Annelie Buntenbach said that it „irresponsible and sustained unfair“ was to unload the cost increases alone with the insured. Representatives of social organizations also expressed similar views. From the left and the Greens also came criticism. As explained by the green health expert Maria Klein-Schmeink, the insured alone would have to raise pending increases in contributions, as soon as the reserves of the health fund were applied. And left-wing MP Harald Weinberg accused the Minister of Health of the true purpose of his reform „the discharge of the employer and the burden on the insured.“

Only employers are satisfied
The chief executive officer of the umbrella association of statutory health insurance (GKV), Doris Pfeiffer, also commented negatively on the financial reform. Opposite the „Passauer New Press“ She said that while it brings short-term savings for all insured, „However, as the expenses continue to increase, for example for doctors, clinics and medicines, the health insurance companies will not be able to get along with the reduced contribution rate and will have to make an additional contribution.“ This will decide only in the fall, when the health insurance funds set their budgets for 2015. Only the employers seem satisfied with the black-red reform. Employer President Ingo Kramer called the stipulation important to secure growth and employment. He said that this was necessary because labor costs would increase elsewhere through social contributions. (Sb)