Health insurance companies make millions again

Health insurance companies slip into the loss zone after years

06/14/2014

"The fat years seem to be over"; The largest statutory health insurance companies in Germany have, after years of surpluses, apparently slipped into the red. In the first months of the current year, losses in the hundreds of millions were recorded.

Losses in the hundreds of millions
According to a report of the „Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung“ (FAZ), the largest statutory health insurance companies in Germany have slipped back into their losses for the first time since 2008. From January to March the Ersatzkassen registered a total loss of 317 million euros, communicated her association vdek. As the insurance confirmed to the news agency dpa, it was alone in the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) 217 ​​million, at the Barmer GEK 91 million and at the KKH about 20 million. The general local health insurance funds (AOK), however, recorded an increase of 149 million euros, which, however, only one third of the same quarter last year.

Slight minus is expected
The losses would essentially go back to the fact that individual funds such as the TK paid premium money back to their members and that the cash flows were reorganized in the financial equalization between the funds, said vdek spokeswoman Michaela Gottfried. The statutory health insurance (GKV) was last started in 2008 with a deficit in the year. Since then, surpluses of more than one billion euros have been achieved at times. Last year, the coffers recorded a surplus of just under € 1.2 billion. According to the vdek, however, the SHI will end this year with a slight minus. „The time of massive surpluses is over“, Gottfried.

Expenditures increase significantly more than revenues
The Federal Government pointed out, however, that the figures for the first quarter are only conditionally meaningful for the whole year. For example, vacation and Christmas bonuses are still pending, which had a positive impact on revenue. Overall, the health system in Germany is financially well equipped. This was pointed out by the CDU health expert Jens Spahn. The reserves of the health insurance funds amount to more than 16 billion euros and those of the health fund more than 13 billion euros. „However, expenditures are likely to increase much more than revenues; the reserves will not last forever.“ Therefore, the good times should also be used for unpopular reforms, especially at the clinics. As Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe (CDU) had already announced, the funds of the health insurance funds for the clinics should increase.

Criticism of the government
Meanwhile, DGB board member Annelie Buntenbach criticized the government: „The deficit was foreseeable, because the legislator has helped with his gifts, for example, for resident physicians, that the expenses increase.“ Already, the contribution relief promised by Gröhe turns out to be a fairy tale. By about two percentage points, the contribution rate for those insured by 2020 will rise. In the coming year, the contribution rate for the approximately 50 million members of the statutory health insurance will fall from 15.5 to 14.6 percent, but in return, the funds will be given the opportunity to levy wage-related surcharges.

Increase in contributions expected
As the answer of the health department to a request of the Greens in the Bundestag showed that a bill of the health insurance funds is expected by the cash-reform of finances decided a few days ago in the Bundestag in order to keep additional contributions as low as possible. The newly published numbers could lead to a faster increase in contributions, as feared by experts. Already months ago, for example, the health economist Jürgen Wasem had estimated the additional contribution for 2017 on average at 1.3 to 1.5 percent of income, the Federal Insurance Office at 1.6 to 1.7 percent. (Ad)