Cash contributions additional contributions 2011 not excluded

The financing of the health insurance funds is secured for the year 2011. Nevertheless, health insurance additional contributions for 2011 are not excluded.

After the criticism of health care reform in the last few days was about to boil over, the federal government is trying again to put the positive aspects of the changes a little more in the foreground. The representatives of CDU / CSU and FDP can rely on the now announced forecasts of the circle of statutory health insurers, which assume that health insurance fund expenditures will be covered in the coming year.

Sampler Circle Announces Forecast for 2011
After two days of consultations, the circle of assessors for the statutory health insurances in Bonn published the forecasts for the financial situation in the health care system. Accordingly, the health insurance funds in 2011, revenue from the health fund in the amount of 181.1 billion euros are available, with estimated expenditure of 178.9 million euros. Thus, all expenditures are likely to be covered by Health Fund revenues. Further additional contributions would therefore not have to be collected in 2011. And the social equalization is secured by the additional provision of two billion euros from tax revenue for the year 2011 according to consistent opinion of the experts on a sustainable basis.

Feared cash deficit of 11 billion could be avoided
The feared cash deficit of about 11 billion euros, could be avoided primarily by raising the contribution rate from 14.9 to 15.5 percent of the gross wage. Employees as well as employers each have to assume a premium increase of 0.3 percent. However, the employers' share should be codified in the future, so that any further increases in contribution rates must be made exclusively by the employees. In addition, from 2012 is again expected a significant deficit in the statutory health insurance, which is to be compensated according to the plans of the Federal Government by the levy of additional contributions. Thus, any further cost increases of the statutory health insurance companies must be borne exclusively by the members in the future.

Planned savings are not enough to rehabilitate the healthcare system
The fact that the allocations from the health fund are sufficient to cover the costs in 2011 can also be attributed to the envisaged austerity measures in the healthcare system. For example, the administrative costs of statutory health insurance have been set at the 2010 level, and notable savings have also been made to the physicians, GPs, dentists, hospitals, and spending on medicines. At least that was enough to secure funding for the year 2011. But this is not enough to rehabilitate the health system.
From 2012 comprehensive additional contributions
As early as 2012, experts such as Professor Dr. Jürgen Wasem from the Chair of Medicine Management at the University of Duisburg / Essen but also representatives of the Federal Government with the nationwide introduction of additional contributions. These are initially expected to average about 5, - €, but will rise in the future relatively strong. Prof. Dr. Wasem based on their own calculations assume that the additional contributions „By 2020, on average, just under 80 euros per member of the fund“.

Also in 2011 additional contributions to certain funds?
But even in 2011, the collection of additional contributions can not be ruled out despite the overall secured financing. For example, the head of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV), Doris Pfeiffer, does not exclude the levying of additional contributions for the coming year in an interview with rbb-Inforadio. Although it agrees with the forecasts of the circle of estimators on the general financial situation of the health insurances, with individual health insurances this is different. According to Doris Pfeiffer, in the case of health insurances with a large number of insured persons in predominantly urban regions, high hospital costs, for example, could result in financial deficits, which means that insurance companies then have to make an additional contribution.

Criticism of health care reform does not stop
Not only at the political level, the reform remains controversial. The additional proposals from the Ministry of Health do not change much. Thus, the recent plans of the Federal Minister of Health Philipp Rösler (FDP) to introduce the advance payment to the doctor also encountered considerable resistance. For example, AOK Vice Chairman Jürgen Graalmann emphasized to the „image“: „"Advance payment to the doctor does not solve a single problem of the GKV", but unsettles the patients and creates "more administrative effort for all." Therefore, this proposal of the Federal Minister of Health is criticized from many quarters relatively sharp Pharmalobby and the „Gifts“ to the private health insurance companies again the charge of „Klientelpolitk“ loud and representatives of the SPD stressed that the government coalition with the reform, the social peace endangered. On the basis of the forecasts of the circle of estimators announced now, however, the government representatives of the CDU / CSU and FDP are confirmed in their plans and, despite all criticism, are unlikely to make any further adjustments to the health care reform for the time being. (fp, 01.10.2010)

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