Health insurance HEK abolishes dental practice fee

Hanseatische Krankenkasse without practice fee

07/07/2012

For weeks, Union and FDP have been pushing the statutory health insurance funds to pay premiums to the insured. While the Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance (GKV) rejects a general disbursement of the billions of surpluses, announced the regional Hanseatic health insurance (HEK) to reimburse the practice fee for dental visits to its members.

"As the first health insurance, the HEK creates the practice fees for dental visits de facto," announced a spokesman for the HEK. The refund is expected to apply retroactively from 1 January 2012 and includes the "statutory fee under the HEK bonus program."

After payment of the practice fee refund by the cashier
Because it is required by law, in principle, every cash patient has to pay a fee of 10 euros per dental practice per quarter. This continues to apply to the HEK insured. After the payment has been paid to the dental office, the insured person can send the practice fee receipt to the HEK by mail. However, the fee will only be refunded if a dental bonus booklet is kept by the patient. Also the bonus booklet must be sent by copy with. "Immediately the practice fee will be transferred to the account". And that "even retroactively for the entire year 2012." The HEK is thus the only fund in Germany, the practice fee "at the dentist's visit practically abolished," as a spokesman stressed. Around 400,000 insured persons benefit from the reimbursement. According to the cash register, the HEK waives around 2.5 million euros in revenue per year.

Refund by free additional services
Many health insurance companies want to use the surpluses to better present themselves on the cash register market. The Siemens Health Insurance Fund (SBK) recently announced that it will reimburse treatments for osteopaths of up to € 30 per session. The Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), on the other hand, wants to examine a premium distribution to the contributory insured. The DAK subsidizes osteopathy for children and the AOK Plus wants to offer additional services such as homeopathy services for its members from September onwards.

Federal Insurance Office requests verification
The coffers are forced to move on, after all, in addition to the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Insurance Office also called on the health insurance companies to check that the surpluses are paid out. This could be done in cash benefits but also in additional health services. The health insurance companies are only allowed to cover a statutory maximum amount. In addition, amounts must go back to the contributors. Minister of Health Daniel Bahr, meanwhile, is in favor of a general abolition of the abolition of practice fees.

It is still a laborious act to recover the costs of the HEK. Every year, the insured person has to take part in the annual dental check-ups, a spokesperson said. In addition, the program is intended only for dental visits. Accordingly, HEK patients must continue to pay a regular practice fee to their GP or specialist without repayment.

The central association of the health insurance companies emphasized that the reserves are meaningful, since a clear weakening of the economy in Germany is to be expected. Health economists assume that already in one to two years some funds will be forced to collect additional contributions. (Sb)

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