PKV commissions should be capped in the future

Private health insurance: planned to cap the commissions

15.04.2011

The commission payments in the private health insurance have taken so drastic proportions that now apparently even the more favorable as PKV-friendly FDP for a cap on the commissions pronounced. Members of the CDU and FDP have instructed the Ministry of Finance and Justice in Berlin to examine the possibilities for a legal cover in the usual brokerage commissions after conclusion of the contract.

Due to the considerable commissions that insurance intermediaries receive when customers switch to private health insurance, intermediaries have a considerable interest in persuading insured persons to switch. It is - spurred on by the waving commissions - in the past again and again come to at least questionable behavior in advising customers. In addition, the commissions had to be generated from the income of private health insurance, which is reflected in corresponding premium adjustments. The members of the Union and FDP now apparently want to put a stop to this by having the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice check the cap on commissions, reports „Financial Times Germany“.

Lush commissions in the PKV favor misconduct
According to the plans of the governing coalition, not only should the commissions be limited to a reasonable maximum amount, but the intermediaries should also be obliged to repay their commissions received for longer than before when a customer terminates his contract. So is according to the „Financial Times Germany“ a liability period of five instead of two years so far in conversation. So the legislature would kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand, the excess commissions in the private health insurance industry would be suppressed in which for a contract from 14 to 18 monthly contributions as a reward, resulting in a monthly fee of 200 euros to 300 euros in the private health insurance commission of a commission for sales of 2,800 to 5,600 euros. On the other hand, the incentives that have hitherto been responsible for the fact that intermediaries tend to encourage customers to terminate their contracts as soon as possible and to conclude a new contract in order to collect multiple commissions at the same time, reports the group „Financial Times Germany“.

Commissions burden the competitiveness and the insured
Although the governing coalition is relatively open to switching from statutory health insurance to private health insurance and has also made this clear by switching between private health insurance and statutory health insurance since the beginning of the year, the excesses in commission payments also appear to the members of the CDU To be a thorn in the side of CSU and FDP. The fiscal spokesman of CDU / CSU, Klaus-Peter Flosbach, emphasized to the „Financial Times Germany“ , that he „the development very critical“ see. No wonder, because ultimately the horrendous commissions are at the expense of the private insured and the competitiveness of private health insurance. The immense rewards for advertising new customers are on the end of the health insurance itself, which is reflected in the corresponding contribution adjustments. This not only creates unnecessary costs in the health system but also provides incentives for misconduct for the insurance intermediaries.

GKV advocates capping the PKV-Prosvisionen
The statutory health insurance companies were pleased with the initiative of the Christian-liberal government and were in favor of capping the commissions. Because for the statutory health insurance, the high insurance premiums in sales represent a significant competitive disadvantage. If an insurance intermediary has the choice between two equivalent products, he will always recommend to his customers the one for which he himself receives the highest commission. „The high commissions make the brokers a big deal if they get people to turn their backs on the solidary community of the statutory health insurance and switch to private health insurance“, criticized the GKV-Spitzenverband the previous practice in the commissions. (Fp)

Also read:
Drastic reduction of PKV commissions
Change to PKV often not advisable

Picture: Gerd Altmann / Gerold Meiners