Health insurance funds record value for drug expenditures

Health insurance: 485 euros per year for drug costs

03/05/2011

Germany's doctors once again prescribe significantly more drugs to patients than in previous years. The reports the technicians health insurance (TK) under appeal of a balance of the Federal association of the legal health insurance companies (GKV). On average, each health insurance patient received prescriptions worth 485 euros last year. In 2010, physicians in Germany prescribed medications to legally insured persons for a good 34 billion euros. After the TK-Krankenkasse was hit, the result is an absolute record.

Ever higher drug expenditures
The pharmaceutical expenditures of the health insurance companies increase ever further. More and more frequently, general practitioners and general practitioners prescribe medicines to legally insured patients. On average, medications worth 485 euros were prescribed for every insured person last year. To the well-being of the pharmaceutical industry, the total amount for all health insurance increased to around 34 billion euros. Thus, in 2010, each patient received nearly ten prescription medication packages. In total, there were 693 million packs, as the Techniker Krankenkasse citing the evaluations of the Central Association of Statutory Health Insurance (GKV) in Hamburg announced. This represents an increase of six percent compared to the same period of the previous year and a surplus of two billion euros.

Regulations vary in regions
It was noticeable that physicians of the individual federal states prescribed prescriptions very differently. Medecines in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with a per capita amount of 599 euros (24 percent higher than the national average) per year and patient prescribed the most expensive. At least the health insurance companies had to pay for medicines in Bavaria. Here was the per capita amount at just 443 euros. That's about nine percent less than the nationwide average. In addition, the values ​​of the prescribed packs between the individual states varied considerably in some cases. In Berlin, the average value per prescription was around € 60, whereas in the Westphalia-Lippe region it was only € 42. Overall, patients of the health insurance companies made additional payments for medicines in 2010 amounting to about 1.9 billion euros. That's just 13 percent more in the previous year.

Background: Health insurance companies watch development
The central association of the GKV submits after § 84 para. 5 sentence 4 SGBV monthly quick information on the development of expenditure on medicines at the level of the health insurances medical associations as standardized reports. These reports will be released in cooperation § 4 para. 3 SGB V and § 86 SGBX with the AOK Federal Association as carrier of the scientific institute of the AOK (WIdO) created. They are based on those of the pharmacies § 300 SGB V transmitted data of the drug regulations, which are evaluated before the settlement audit on a specified key date. (Sb)

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Picture: Andreas Morlok