No additional contributions by the health insurances 2012

All statutory health insurance companies waive 2012 additional contribution

12/22/2012

The system of additional contributions to statutory health insurance seems to be over. The unexpectedly high surpluses of the health fund in this and the expected additional income in the coming year have caused all health insurance companies, which previously levied an additional contribution, to take this back.

From the spring of 2012, all health insurance companies will no longer make an additional contribution. The surpluses from 2011 are expected to continue in the coming year. Overall, the financial situation of the statutory health insurance has developed much more positive than expected from many sides after the last health care reform. Health insurance funds, which had introduced an additional early contribution to avert impending financial difficulties, are now - despite the surpluses in the health fund - far worse there than before the reform. Because they had to cope with a member loss of about ten percent since the introduction of additional contributions.

No additional contributions from spring 2012
As a cause of the pleasing financial development in the statutory health insurance, the still under the Federal Minister of Health Philipp Rösler (FDP) in 2010 adopted measures for cost reduction in health care apply. Although the introduction of additional contributions as a kind of alternative to the head lump sum (which is favored by the FDP) was decided in the course of health care reform in 2010. However, the additional contributions have now become unnecessary as a result of measures to reduce the financial deficit in statutory health insurance. All health insurances do not want to levy an additional contribution from the spring of 2012, which means that the hidden capitation fee (contribution independent of income) seems to be off the table for the time being. Thus, Rösler has not achieved the goal of his party, but made a significant contribution to the current financial surpluses in the statutory health insurance. In order to avoid the planned deficit of around eleven billion euros following the health care reform, the then Minister of Health imposed an increased compulsory rebate on pharmaceuticals for pharmaceutical manufacturers and increased the contribution rate. The costs for doctors and clinics were also limited by the resolutions a good year ago.

Billions in surplus enable the abolition of additional contributions
Through the interplay of the various decisions and the positive economic development, not only the impending deficit of around 11 billion euros could be averted in the health fund, but the sick are happy in 2011, a financial buffer of about 16 billion euros. This is unlikely to be diminished even in 2012, as even with a far worse economic situation, the consequences would only have a significantly delayed effect on the health fund's income. In order to preserve the surplus in the coming years, it is reported that the „South German newspaper“ (SZ) only a minor change in law, the „allows the fund to compensate for cyclical fluctuations.“ The planning of this legal adjustment was the „SZ“ According to coalition politicians already confirmed behind closed doors. Thus, the additional contributions after their relatively short stint could now find an end permanently. To the annoyance of the few health insurance companies who had already introduced an additional contribution to get their financial difficulties under control. For they lost tens of thousands of members through the additional contributions that moved in the direction of a health insurance without additional contribution.

Member losses at the health insurance companies with additional contribution
From the spring of 2012, all statutory health insurance waive the levy of an additional contribution. Although the relevant decisions of the insurance still have to be approved by the Federal Insurance Office and it requires an adjustment of the individual statutes. However, these are merely formal hurdles that should be overcome without much difficulty before the health insurance companies can provide their members with the good news. The approximately ten health insurance companies, which had to raise additional premiums due to imminent deficits in the past, can only look forward to the present development to a limited extent. While they were now able to remedy a competitive disadvantage that might have caused them considerable difficulties in the future, they assumed that additional contributions would continue to maintain policy and keep funds in the health fund under control. This would have meant that more and more health insurance funds would have been dependent on the introduction of additional contributions. But the opposite is now the case. In fact, the affected health insurance have speculated a little at this point. However, given the financial difficulties, they had little choice.

Additional contribution after the next federal election on the test bench
The additional contributions have been highly controversial since their introduction and most statutory sicknesses were accordingly restrained in the survey. Especially since the additional contributions were usually accompanied by a significant loss of members. For example, Deutsche Angestellten Krankenkasse has lost around 500,000 members since the introduction of the additional contribution. Some smaller health insurance companies were even more affected by the onset of membership losses. The additional contributions were, for example, a major reason for the bankruptcy of City BKK in the summer of 2011 and the closure of the BKK for health professionals at the end of the year. The current abolition of additional contributions by all health insurances should therefore also ensure a little more peace in the industry. It is also expected that no health insurance fund will make additional contributions again in 2013, since additional contributions are generally in question due to the parliamentary elections also taking place in 2013 and a possible change of government. Thus, both the SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach and the Secretary General of the Social Democrats, Andrea Nahles, has already stated that the additional contributions will be put to the test in the event of a future government participation of the SPD.

Additional contributions finally before the end?
Also, the current federal government will do its best to save the currently very good financial situation of the health insurance until the end of the legislature. Because a cash register would be forced to make an additional contribution due to imminent deficits, so in any case, the Christian-liberal coalition would be responsible for this, which should not be in the sense of CDU, CSU and FDP during election campaign. Thus, the extra contributions seem to be finally sealed. The „SZ“ describes as the only way for renewed additional contributions, a massive increase in costs in 2012, so „that the coffers will no longer come with the money from the health fund.“ However, the paper also pointed out that the Minister of Health Daniel Bahr (FDP) has already excluded such a development. (Fp)

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Image: Claudia Hautumm