Health insurance Non-payers cause losses

Statutory health insurance companies suffer billions in damages from defaulting contributors

02/02/2012

While the private health insurance industry negotiates with the Federal Ministry of Health to introduce an extra charge for non-payers, because more and more insured can not pay their contributions, it turned out that the statutory health insurance companies have a shortfall in the billions, because many can not pay their contributions regularly , At the end of last year 2011 so an amount of about 1.2 billion euros accumulated, as a newspaper reported.

Several hundred thousand insured persons could not raise about 1.2 billion euro in the past year for their health insurance companies. Thus, defaulting payers cause the statutory health insurance every year a billions in damages, like the „Ruhr news“ reported on Thursday and refers to an internal report of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance (GKV). Some 638,000 insured had already produced a backlog of around € 1.0 billion in August 2012. The actual loss amount should be much higher.

Most defaulting payers are self-employed
According to the report, high outage costs arose, among other things, due to the self-employed, who switched from the private funds to the statutory health insurance before compulsory health insurance in the context of the former health care reform. In addition, approximately 530,000 contribution accounts of voluntarily insured persons were not compensated. Here, too, the largest proportion are voluntarily insured persons who work on an independent basis. The information provided by the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds was submitted to the Federal Ministry of Health in October 2011.

The reason for this situation is likely to be the progressive change in the labor market. More and more people, especially the new media, the IT industry and the service sector, are no longer in a socially responsible employment relationship but have to make a living on their own account. Many formerly unemployed decide after long years of Hartz IV relation, out of unemployment „to become self-employed“. However, many sufferers are barely able to earn a living from freelance or self-employed activities and often have to apply for higher social benefits. Anyone who is voluntarily insured by law must also pay employee and employer's share together. The cost of health insurance for self-employed is thus higher than for employees.

Non-payer tariff planned
Last week it became known that private insurance companies are experiencing a steadily increasing financial hole. According to the umbrella organization of private health insurance (PKV), a total loss of around € 500,000 arose by some ten thousand members last year. According to unconfirmed media reports, around 145,000 privately insured persons were unable to pay their contributions at the end of 2011. The Federal Ministry of Health is now negotiating with the insurers for the introduction of a „Nottarifs“ in that only „emergency services“ get paid. The PKV should be relieved at the expense of the victims (sb)

Also read:
Private patients flee to the health insurance
Health insurance: additional contributions come again
Complaints about increase in PKV contributions
Health insurance: What will change in 2012?
Private health insurance may terminate

Image: Gerd Altmann, Pixelio.de