New Ombudsman of private health insurers

Klaus Theo Schröder is the new ombudsman of private health insurers (PKV).

16.11.2010
The private health insurers (PKV) have appointed a new ombudsman at the beginning of 2011. The former Secretary of State of the Federal Ministry of Health Klaus Theo Schröder (SPD) will take over the post of Helmut Müller at the turn of the year.

The SPD politician and former State Secretary of the Ministry of Health, dr. Klaus Theo Schröder will take over the mediation body for private health insurance (PKV) on January 1, 2011. Schröder replaces the former chairman of insurance supervision, Helmut Müller. The new Ombudsman Schröder is considered by experts to be a real expert on the health care system and should also have experience in conflict management. As a former secretary under ex-Minister of Health Ulla Schmidt (SPD) Schröder u.a. driven the model of the electronic health card. At the same time, Schröder also proved to be resistant and in conflict with the fierce criticism of the German medical profession.

The PKV Federal Association was pleased with the change in the chairmanship. "Klaus Theo Schröder has a high level of expertise, knows the different corners of the health care system and is widely accepted," said the chairman of the PKV association Volker Leienbach. In December 1999 Schröder became State Secretary of the Berlin Senate Department for Labor, Social Affairs and Women. There, too, he was particularly responsible for health policy, the stabilization of the Berlin health insurance funds and the transformation of the city hospitals of Berlin.

What is a PKV ombudsman position??
The task of an ombudsman is the mediation of disputes between private patients and private health insurance. The mediator can make a recommendation that does not have to be accepted by both sides. The conciliation attempt is cost-free for both the consumer and the insurer. The task of a mediator is above all to review the decisions of an insurance company and act neutrally, quickly and unbureaucratically.

The task of the Ombudsman is also to bring about out-of-court settlements of disputes between insured persons and health insurance companies. as well as insurance intermediaries and insurance advisors. The Ombudsman should mediate between the participants at each stage of the procedure and, if possible, achieve reconciliation. If there is no satisfactory agreement for both sides, nevertheless a court must be called in.

Helmut Müller retires for reasons of age
Helmut Müller has been an Ombudsman since 2007. For reasons of age, Müller will no longer extend his activity. As the chairman of the PKV association Reinhold Schulte announced, Müller contributed significantly to the fact that the arbitration board as an institution had acquired a "high reputation and great trust among the insured". "They have always taken into account the interests of the insured and the insurers and brought both parties to a fair balance of interests“, So moved on. In the last year of 2009, the PKV Ombudsman received a total of 5015 complaints. That's an increase of 14.6 percent. (Sb)