Health insurance No merger of the TC and KKH alliance

No merger of the Techniker Krankenkasse with the KKH alliance. Both treasurers deny a planned merger

06/02/2011

For years, the wave of mergers at the statutory health insurance. In the last week it was still said that the KKH alliance wants to merge with the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). But now both health insurance companies have put an end to the speculation. A possible merger of both funds is vehemently denied by the boards. So let the technicians health insurance announced that there had been no discussions in advance. Corresponding media reports were denied. Health economists would have predicted a possible merger, because in a merger would have emerged with the estimated nine million insured since the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany's largest statutory health insurance.

No merger and no talks planned
On Friday, the denial came by return mail. The newspaper report would be a misinformation and fictitious, said a spokesman for the KKH alliance. Even the claim that both treasurers had already agreed and the employers and employees would have to give their approval at their next meeting in March, was a false claim. The „Leipziger Volkszeitung“ had reported on Friday morning, the health insurance merger is almost a decided thing. However, the report did not specify where this specific information came from. As source were only „well-informed circles“ from politics and health insurance called. It is possible that both funds do not want to announce a merger yet publicly or the discussions were terminated already without result.

The wave of mergers of health insurance continues meanwhile. Within two years, the number of funds has shrunk from 216 to 163 health insurance companies. The funds are merging to gain a better bargaining position in the drug market and with medical associations. Larger health insurance companies can also react more quickly to changing situations in member structures and are less affected by the dangers of possible bankruptcy. (Sb)

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False message about merger of the TK and KKH alliance
Health system: wave of mergers of health insurance companies

Image: Claudia Hautumm