Health insurance with 740 million in the minus

Million deficit in public funds

29/11/2014

According to a media report, the statutory health insurance funds in Germany in the first nine months of this year have accumulated a minus of 740 million euros. An expert had already said in the first half of the year that a deficit was foreseeable.

Nearly three quarters of a billion losses
According to a press report, the statutory health insurance companies in Germany spend more and more money than they receive from the health fund. As the „Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung“ (FAZ) reported in the Saturday issue, citing information from health insurance companies, the 131 funds had accumulated by the end of September, a deficit of 740 million euros. The year before, they had reported at this time still a surplus of 1.5 billion euros.

AOK and Knappschaft with surpluses
Overall, the picture within the box office is very different. Thus, the general local health insurance funds (AOK) and the Knappschaft surpluses of 350 and 118 million euros. All others write red numbers. Accordingly, the guild funds come in the first nine months of the year to a loss of 118 million euros, the company health insurance funds show a deficit of 257 million euros and the Ersatzkassen - the market leader - come even to a minus of 830 million euros. According to the report, according to its report, premium distributions amounting to 424 million euros are included in this figure.

Deficit was foreseeable
Changes in the financial equalization of the health insurance funds as well as increasing health costs are mentioned as a reason for the financial situation. As the FAZ writes further, confirm with the deficit of emerging since the beginning of the year trend to a strained financial position. The health insurance companies had previously made profits for five years and invested reserves from which they now consumed. Already when the losses of the first quarter had been announced, Annelie Buntenbach, board member of the DGB, had criticized the government and stated that the deficit was foreseeable, since the legislature itself had contributed, for example in the form of gifts for physicians in private practice the expenses rise. (Ad)