No additional insurance with health insurance

Are additional rates of health insurance prohibited?

Federal Minister of Health Philipp Rösler: In the future no additional insurance of the statutory health insurance more possible.

(09.09.2010) The disassembly of the statutory health insurance continues. Because it goes to the will of the Federal Minister of Health Philipp Rösler (FDP), statutory health insurance should not be allowed to offer additional services in the future. Only recently, the Federal Minister of Health spoke at a podium discussion by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for a strict separation of private health insurance and statutory health insurance. If the minister comes through with his demand within the coalition, the health insurance companies should no longer be allowed to offer additional services in the future. This item should then only be reserved for private health insurance (PKV).

After the last health reform of the then black and yellow federal government, the statutory health insurance was allowed to offer additional insurance. Thus, even legally insured homeopathic services, consultant treatments or single beds in hospitals could claim. The basic idea of ​​the former health care reform was to promote the competition of health insurance companies. Because in the course of the reform, a uniform health insurance contribution was decided. Previously, the competition between the funds was given by the different contribution rates. Now, above all, the FDP wants to undo a so-called "blurring between the private and statutory health insurance" again. But it was the additional benefits that brought health insurance companies additional income, which is urgently needed in the fight against the current poor financial situation. Because according to estimates of experts, the health fund threatens a minus of about 11 billion euros. According to the current state of knowledge, this will not change the introduction of additional contributions.

For this reason it is all the more incomprehensible why the Federal Ministry of Health wants to ban the additional services again. It only allows the conclusion that the FDP wants to strengthen the private health insurance to the detriment of the statutory health insurance. In addition, it is also planned to extend the drug compulsory discount on PKV. Such discounts were reserved so far only the GKV. So it is also from the Federal Ministry of Health, one plans to separate the statutory health insurance with their special rights clearly from the private.

Strengthening private health insurance.
Does it mean that cash patients can no longer take advantage of additional benefits in the future? Not at all, because the plans are supposed to strengthen the private funds. Thus one plans that compulsory insured cash-register members receive such additional achievements only from the PKV insurances. This means that while cash-and-carry patients continue to remain insured with their health insurance fund, they can only "buy" health insurance abroad, for example. This gives the private a billion dollar business. The association of private health insurance (PKV) is therefore also delighted with so many gifts from the federal government. Here one shows a great interest and of course support these projects. Also one sees no reason for a competition to the legal health insurance.

Government politicians are blowing into the same lobby. The State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health Daniel Bahr (FDP) said that the supplementary insurance of the statutory are anyway only a bait to keep insured who could switch to private health insurance. The Union also pleads for a cessation of additional benefits in the statutory health insurance. Health spokesman Jens Spahn (CDU) said that it was not the job of the health insurance funds to "poach" in the field of private health insurance. But as mentioned, this newly forced "separation" is very one-sided, but you also plan to introduce so-called compulsory discounts for PKV health insurance. In addition, it is to be feared that now good earners will switch from statutory health insurance to private health insurance. For this one wants to set extra for that the limitation to one year, so that as many as possible the way into the PKV find.

Clientele policy of the FDP in favor of PKV
Clear criticism of the plans came from the ranks of the health insurance funds and the opposition. Because unlike in the private health industry, all members of the statutory health insurance can get additional insurance. In the case of private health insurance, a health check for health insurance is always required first. The private can choose their insured, the statutory health insurance. All people who have a claim to it must be compulsorily insured here. For this reason, even the AOK federal executive demands to expand the possibilities for additional tariffs with the legal ones further. The health policy spokesman of the SPD Karl Lauterbach sees with the planned measures also a bleeding of the solidary health system. Lauterbach sees in the planned changes a benefit of private health insurance at the expense of statutory social security. (Sb)

Also read:
Government piles PKV with gifts
Rösler wants to protect the pharmaceutical lobby
FDP wants to strengthen private health insurance
Health insurance withdraws from eligibility

Picture: Margot Kessler