Health insurance contributions should rise

According to a newspaper report, contributions to statutory health insurance are expected to rise in the coming year. The reason for this is that the coffers would be missing several billion euros. An increase is borne solely by the employees.

Contributions are expected to rise in 2016
The health insurance contributions will increase in 2016, health experts had already predicted at the beginning of the year. In the spring it was reported that the contributions could increase according to calculations by up to 50 euros more per month. Much was based on assumptions and assumptions. Now there is news: According to a message from the news agency dpa, the "Bild" newspaper has information that the contributions to the statutory health insurance in the coming year are expected to rise.

Cash contributions are expected to increase from 2016. Picture: SZ-Designs - fotolia

Increase must be borne exclusively by employees
According to the report go the so-called circle of estimators in his calculations of the fact that the health insurance in 2016 about three billion euros are missing. As the newspaper writes, citing informed circles, this corresponds to an increase in the contribution rate of up to 0.3 points. The average contribution rate would rise to 15.8 percent. According to the information, the increase would only have to be borne by the employees since the employer's share is capped. It is said that the circle of estimators of the Federal Insurance Office now wants to present its prognosis for the financial development to the statutory health insurance (GKV). This circle is made up of experts from the Federal Insurance Office, the Ministry of Health and health insurance companies.

Cash registers can make additional contributions
The fixed contribution rate of 15.5 percent had been reduced by 0.9 points to 14.6 percent as of January 1 of this year. If the funds need more money, they can determine depending on their own financial position, an additional contribution. The circle of evaluators recommended an average additional contribution of 0.9 percentage points in the first year of this new regulation. This corresponded exactly to the previously reduced contribution amount. However, after the coffers in Germany recorded several hundred million euros in the first half of the year, some thought that an increase was necessary to stabilize the financial situation. According to the legislator, the variable additional contribution should lead to more competition among the funds. (Ad)