KKH alliance eliminates practice fee defacto

Health Insurance KKH Allianz reimburses insured persons for the practice fee

11.10.2012

The KKH Allianz health insurance company has announced that it will be the first statutory health insurance company in Germany to reimburse the insured for the practice fee. As reported by the treasurer, patients are expected to receive a repayment of up to 40 euros per year from next year under certain conditions. However, the members of the cash register would have to prove their "health-conscious behavior" activities.

The KKH Alliance announced today as the first health insurance fund in Hanover to abolish the practice fee for the insured indirectly. "The practice fee burdens unilaterally ill insured and has no control effect. That's not fair, "says CEO Ingo Kailuweit. "We do not want to keep our insured persons waiting until the legislature comes to this conclusion and finally abolishes the fee."

In the opinion of the health insurance, the practice fee did not fulfill its original purpose. The quarterly fees were introduced in the course of health care reform in 2004 by the then federal government. Initially, the legislature considered that the practice fees help minimize "unnecessary medical visits." Subsequent investigations, however, found that the number of doctor contacts could not be reduced. Since then, patients must pay 10 euros per quarter at the first medical visit. Only insured persons under the age of 18 are excluded from this. For the coffers, the fees now mean an additional source of income in the billions.

From the turn of the year insured persons can receive a bonus payment of 40 Euro per year. However, the compensation payment is linked to four measures for health-promoting behavior. For this purpose, according to the cash information, for example, "checkups or membership in a sports club" belong.

In addition, insured persons must be handed in the receipts for the practice fee to the home, specialist, psychotherapist or dentist at the KKH alliance. "Condition is that you submit your receipt for payment of the fee with us," said a spokesman. Not only existing customers, but also new members should profit from this. The reimbursement is valid not only for contributing members, but also for co-insured family members from the age of 18 years.

Within the black and yellow federal government, the practice fee is controversial. Because the FDP envisages a weakening of the health insurance funds in favor of the private funds, the federal health minister Daniel Bahr (FDP) recently called for the complete abolition of the quarterly fees. The Union, on the other hand, is in favor of maintaining the practice fees in order to "keep the health care system financially secure" in the future..

In July of this year, the Hanseatic Health Insurance Fund (HEK) announced that it would reimburse all insured patients for all dental fees. However, they must submit the fee receipts and a copy of the dentist bonus booklet. A reimbursement of specialist or family doctor fees, however, is not provided at the HEK.

According to own data the KKH alliance is as a single cash office with approximately 1.8 million members with the largest health insurance company of Germany. According to estimates by experts, the health insurances register around two billion euros annually through the practice fees. Income that health insurance funds are reluctant to forego. (Sb)

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