Left calls for abolition of private health insurance

Left: Bill on the abolition of private health insurance

04/07/2012

The party „The left“ petitioned today in the Bundestag for the abolition of private health insurance (PKV). Instead of the private full insurance it should be a „solidary citizens' insurance“ for all people in Germany. Quite the left does not want to abolish the private health insurance industry. The PKV should continue to insist on supplementary insurance.

For several months, the private health insurance in Germany is under constant fire of criticism. In an application to the Bundestag, the Left Party now demands the abolition of private health insurance as a full insurance. Instead, companies should limit themselves to supplementary insurance for which it is „There is no relevant medical benefit“, as it was called in the application of the left-wing fraction.

The employees of the PKV should be in one „socially acceptable transition“ Get jobs at the statutory health insurance. What remained were countless brokers, who would then have to limit themselves to an insurance business outside the PKV.

According to the Left Party, the health insurance system in Germany had to be fundamentally reformed. In order to ensure adequate health care for people in the future as well, solidarity health insurance is an adequate model that "should be valued higher than the rights of insurance companies“. The introduction of a citizens insurance „justifies the abolition of private health insurance as a full insurance“. According to the proposals of the left, the reform should not be gradual, but in one „single act and done at the same time for all“.

A tiered model as favored by the SPD and Greens is in the opinion of the left politicians not necessary, since private insured all benefits that go beyond the statutory benefit catalog of the health insurance could fill with additional insurance.

„By no means do we want to harm the insured of the private funds“, stressed a spokesman for the party. After all, the application is not just about saving health insurance in Germany, but also protecting privately insured persons from inflated costs. Due to the sometimes massive contribution increase of the tariffs, often privately insured persons can no longer afford the policies. Particularly affected by this are sole proprietors with a low income and older private insured.

80 percent of the private rates offer less than the GKV
To renounce benefits would not have the today insured PKV. According to the Left, 80 percent of tariffs would anyway offer less than the statutory health insurance. This is not conceived, because the left refers in their statement to an independent joint study of the Kiel Institute for Microdata Analysis (IfMDA) and the Frankfurt consulting firm PremiumCircle Deutschland GmbH. This had brought to light that not infrequently the collective agreements contained numerous benefits in the event of illness.

The request of the left will be discussed in the Bundestag after the parliamentary summer break in the autumn. Union and FDP oppose a merger. On request, the proposal could come across in the ranks of SPD and Greens. They too have been calling for some time „solidary citizens' insurance“, but not immediately, but in a temporal handling phase. The unions and health insurances also demand a civil insurance. In her opinion, the step is inevitable to keep the health insurance in Germany continue to be affordable. (Sb)

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Picture: Pino Madeo