Health insurance with almost 500 million euros deficit in the first half of 2015

Despite deficit in the first half of the year15.3 billion euros in financial reserves in the health insurance
According to a statement by the Federal Ministry of Health, statutory health insurances had an expenditure surplus of 492 million in the first half of 2015. In the months of July to September, however, a surplus totaling 96 million euros was achieved, reducing the financial reserves of the health insurance companies to 15.3 Billions of euros.

The deficit of the health insurance companies can essentially be explained by the lower additional contribution of 0.83 percent (instead of the previous special contribution of 0.9 percent), through which insurances their members have contributed to the high financial reserves, reports the Federal Ministry of Health. Without this procedure would result for the 123 statutory health insurance, according to the Ministry's announcement "in the months of January to September, even a surplus of about 0.2 billion euros."

The statutory health insurance funds recorded almost half a billion deficits in the first half of 2015. (Image: Zerbor / fotolia.com)

Almost 5 billion deficit in the health fund
The health fund had an expenditure surplus of around 4.95 billion euros by the end of September, although no conclusions can be drawn from this seasonal excess of expenditure on a similar development in the last quarter of the year, reports the Federal Ministry of Health. In addition, according to the calculation of the circle of estimators, it is to be assumed that the liquidity reserve of the health fund at the end of 2015 will still amount to more than ten billion euros.

Increase in spending flattened
Regarding the cost development, the Federal Ministry of Health reports that expenditure growth of 3.7 per cent per insured person was recorded in the first to third quarter of 2015. However, in the full year 2014 this was still at five percent. In addition, spending increases in the third quarter of 2015 would have flattened further. After rising by 9.4 percent per member in 2014, drug spending was now only 4.4 percent higher per insured person. (Fp)