New health insurance health insurance Southwest

The health insurances AOK Saarland, AOK Rhineland-Palatinate and the IKK Südwest merge to the health fund southwest

06/07/2011

The Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse AOK Saarland and AOK Rheinland-Pfalz will form a merger with IKK Südwest. From the three health insurance the new one arises „Health fund southwest“.

Three small health insurance companies will create a common large statutory health insurance fund. The administrative boards of the AOK Saarland and the AOK Rhineland-Palatinate, according to internal circles of the merger already on Monday and agreed on Tuesday. Next Thursday, IKK Südwest wants to discuss the planned merger. If all three funds merge, the result would be „Health fund southwest“. In the newly compiled health insurance then about 1.9 million people would be insured. Health economists expect a total financial volume of around 5 billion euros. About 4,500 employees would be employed after the merger.

Neue Gesundheitskasse Südwest is liable for IKK
Opposite the Handelsblatt emphasized the chairman of the board AOK Rhineland-Palatinate, Walter Bockemühl that the possible adhesion of the IKK southwest in the context of another merger in the ranks of the guards does not play a major role. As of 1 August 2011, the IKK Classic and the United IKK will join forces to form the six largest health insurance company in Germany. Yesterday, the boards of both funds approved the merger. The new cash register will continue to be called „IKK classic“ and insures about 3.6 million cash patients. An additional contribution is not planned for the coming year 2011.

With the second major merger of the United IKK and the IKK classic, the AOK is now also liable. However, the liability risk is limited to 32 million euros and is limited to 2 years. This means a liability of only 16 million euros per year and corresponds to 0.3 percent of the budget volume of the new health insurance Southwest.

A new CEO has already been appointed for the new health insurance fund. It will most likely be the IKK Southwest boss Frank Spaniol. „Following the positive resolutions of the boards of directors of AOK Saarland and AOK Rheinland-Pfalz, I am confident that the Board of Directors of IKK Südwest will also approve of this trailblazing major merger“, commented Spaniol in the Handelsblatt. The planned merger is Germany's first, as three health insurance companies come from two different associations. So far, no additional contributions are planned. (Sb)

Also read:
AOK-IKK Südwest Krankenkassenfusion approved
United IKK: No merger, now additional contribution?
AOK North-West: health insurance companies merger perfectly
Additional contributions also possible in 2011

Picture: S. Hofschlaeger