Health insurance threatens high minus

World Economy Institute: Health insurance threatens high minus

06/17/2014

The statutory health insurance (GKV) in Germany threatens a billion-dollar minus. This reports that „Handelsblatt“ and refers to the Institute for the World Economy. According to their prognosis, the additional contributions should only be levied at a moderate level.

Billions of dollars in the current and next year
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, statutory health insurance (GKV) in Germany is threatening to lose billions of euros. According to this, rising expenditures of the health insurance funds as well as reductions of the federal subsidy from tax credits of the GKV bring a deficit of 1.7 billion euro this year. And in 2015 it was even 6.1 billion. Corresponding calculations were the news agency dpa in Berlin, like the „Handelsblatt“ on Tuesday as the first reported.

Additional contributions should only be levied in moderate amounts
„Total health insurance spending is expected to increase by 4.8% and 3.9%, respectively, over the forecast period“, explained the economic experts. For the insured they have calming news first. According to the experts, according to their prognosis, the additional income-related additional contributions which the health insurance funds will be able to take from 2015 onwards will initially be raised only moderately. This is because the funds should first use their still high reserves. Currently, the reserves of the health insurance funds amount to more than 16 billion euros and those of the health fund more than 13 billion euros.

Reserves are not enough forever
But the CDU health expert Jens Spahn said only a few days ago: „However, expenditures are likely to increase much more than revenues; the reserves will not last forever.“ Although the other social security branches will see surpluses in 2014 and 2015, they will not be enough to make up for the shortfall in health insurances. As a result, social insurance will end 2015 with a loss of 700 million. (Ad)