No health insurance increase in 2012

Health insurance companies decline despite good revenues from contribution reductions

10/13/2011

In the coming year, in all likelihood, the contributions of the statutory health insurance will not be increased. Additional contributions, the health care reform and the stabilization of the labor market have contributed, according to experts, to the fact that the contribution increases of the funds will be missed for the time being next year.

No cash contribution increases in the current and next year
Cash patients can breathe a sigh of relief: Due to the good development in the labor market, the health insurance companies' revenues are stabilized again. The premium income of the funds has not slipped in the current year after initial evaluations. This also has a positive effect on the insured. You do not expect any further contribution increases this year and next year. Also nationwide additional contributions are unlikely to be collected. However, health insurance companies, which now demand additional contributions, will most likely stick to this contribution policy in the coming year as well. The positive forecast was published on Wednesday by the circle of evaluators of the Federal Insurance Office. The circle of evaluators includes experts from the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Insurance Office and the statutory health insurance funds. The experts predict a stable revenue side of the funds and the health fund under the same conditions. Additional income should be invested in difficult financial situations.

Good development in the labor market
The main reason for this development is the additional income from the turnaround in the labor market and the contribution increases from January 2011. Because more and more people are employed by social insurance, the number of contributing members has risen. Accordingly, the Federal Insurance Office reckons with premium income of the completed year 2011 in the amount of 183.4 billion euros. That's about 1.7 billion euros more than was originally estimated in January. The allocations to the health insurances from the health fund remain nevertheless according to the legal regulations with unchanged 178.9 billion euro. The expenditures of the health insurance companies are predicted with 177,5 billion euro.

Stable premium income also in 2012
The positive trend is expected to continue in the coming year. The circle of estimators also expects stable receipts from the health insurance funds. Due to the good situation on the labor market, a surplus is expected for the current year. These additional revenue should be delivered to the liquidity reserve of the health fund, as a top meeting of representatives of the health insurance funds, Federal Ministry of Health and Federal Insurance Office in Bonn decided. A reduction of the cash contributions was rejected.

With an estimated 183.4 billion euro cash receipts and allocations of 178.9 billion to the health fund results in a rich surplus of about 4.5 billion euros. The surplus is to be used, for example, to cover the additional contributions of Hartz IV, social welfare recipients and low-income earners. For this purpose, the experts have provided a sum of around 2.0 billion euros, which is to be kept until 2014. Another 2.4 billion euros are intended as „nest-egg“ be kept in order to compensate for any cyclical fluctuations and to secure the revenue side. A liquidity reserve has been created in the health fund, so that health insurance funds in difficult financial situations or bankruptcies meet their payment obligations to doctors, pharmaceutical manufacturers and hospitals. As a result, the care of patients is guaranteed even in the event of a bankruptcy. Next year, additional revenue is expected. The total revenue is estimated at 185.7 billion euros. The expenditures of the cash registers are specified with 185,4 billion euro. As a result, health insurance fund allocations could, on average, be fully covered next year, as the experts explained. Overall, the estimates estimate an increase on the expenditure side of 4.5 percent compared to the previous year. In particular, this is due to the increased consumption and rising prices of medicines.

Contribution reductions are categorically rejected
Demands on the part of the unions, SPD and Left Party to lower the cash contributions due to the revenue increases, the health insurance gave a clear rejection. Such a low one „Surplus leaves no room for maneuver“ to over „Reductions of contributions to discuss“ said the chairman of the Association of Ersatzkassen Thomas Ballast. The demands on the part of the physicians and hospitals, for higher financial means for the supply of the patients were decidedly rejected by the boss of the federation of the legal health insurance companies (GKV). So Doris Pfeiffer said: „Such demands from representatives of the medical profession and the hospitals for additional funds especially for their clientele are completely inappropriate“. From the home of the Federal Ministry of Health was to hear that the surplus funds are created for later times. (Sb)

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