PKV Allianz has to pay extra contributions back

Existing customers of the private health insurance alliance receive already paid additional contributions back.

(30.06.2010) Insured persons of the private health insurance "Allianz" receive already paid additional contributions back. The reason for the repayment of the surcharges is a recent judgment of the Federal Administrative Court (AZ.8 C 42/09). The court had complained that when a change from a more expensive tariff into a favorable one with the Allianz insurance a lump-sum additional contribution of 20 per cent of old customers was raised. Insured persons who have been affected will receive back already paid payments. In return, the "Allianz Private Krankenversicherungs-AG" has announced to raise certain private health insurance tariffs in order to avoid the losses. What are the tariff increases and what rates are affected, is still unclear. It seems certain that above all the tariff "Aktimed" will be raised.

So-called "Locktarife" made it so far possible to offer young, healthy customers attractive entry-level tariffs. At Allianz, it was above all the tariff "Aktimed". Old customers who wanted to switch to this tariff, had previously pay a hefty surcharge of 20 percent in addition. However, according to the Federal Administrative Court, this regulation violates the Insurance Contract Act. The judgment is now final.

As the alliance announced, the surcharges already paid will be returned informally. Separate applications are not necessary for this. The verdict is true for the insurance industry. For also PKV-insured must assume that in the case of a private health insurance, all costs are included in the price even in old age. After all, it is not important for existing customers to remain in closed tariffs, which are becoming increasingly expensive and attracting new customers with very low-cost tariffs. If an old customer still wanted to switch to the favorable tariff of new customers, he had to pay a surcharge of twenty percent. The surcharge thus prevented many a change, as this would have brought no financial relief. (Sb)

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