Every third private insured wants to go to the GKV

Every third private insured wants to return to the statutory health insurance

06/12/2013

According to an evaluation of the general local health insurance funds (AOK) about every third private insured wants to return to the statutory health insurance. „The survey speaks a clear language“, explained a spokesman for the AOK Federal Association. The health insurance system in Germany has to be fundamentally changed, according to the demand of the largest Kassenvereinigung in Germany.

„When I was young, my private health insurance was very cheap“, reported the former self-employed and today's retiree Rainer Meyer (67). „But with age, the tariff became more expensive. Now my deductible is very high and my current monthly payments are still in the upper range“. Something like this happens to many people in Germany. The older they get, the more expensive the PKV will be. Because this is not based on income, but on the respective „risk“ of the insured person.

31 percent want to go back
According to a survey almost every third private patient always wants to go back to the law. This is reported by the magazine „star“ and refers to a recent study by the Federal Association of the AOK. The health insurance reported on its part that more and more people sign up, who want to switch back. For this reason, they have started a survey to get a real overview, so AOK board member Jürgen Graalmann opposite the magazine. „The results speak in favor of revising the current system, as 31 percent want to get back into the statutory health insurance“, Graalmann commented on the results.

Health insurance calls „right of return“
Anyone who has once turned his back on the statutory health insurance only comes back in a few exceptional situations. That has its good reasons. Because otherwise many would start to be privately insured in the low cost of health insurance early years and later, when much more visits to the doctor and operations are necessary to switch back to the SHI, because then despite age provisions, insurance premiums rise. Nevertheless, the AOK board pleaded for one „integrated insurance market, „in which the same rules apply to private insurers and public funds“. Private patients should receive a right of return in certain periods. For this purpose, it would be ingenious to take the old age provisions with you. In addition, physician fees should be more closely aligned for both systems. (Sb)

Picture: Gerd Altmann / Gerold Meiners