Positive prognosis for health funds

Billions of health funds in 2014 too

13/10/2013

In the coming year, the statutory health insurance will take more than 200 billion euros, experts of the federal government. There is disagreement about the upcoming issues. The health insurance companies demand more money.

Ministry of Health and health insurance disagree
In the coming year, the statutory health insurance can again expect a plus. Revenues are projected for 2014 by the so-called circle of estimators to 202.2 billion euros. However, the experts of the Federal Insurance Office (BVA) and the Ministry of Health (BMG) could not agree with the health insurance on a forecast for the amount of expenditure. For example, BMG and BVA assume 199.6 billion euros, but the umbrella association of statutory health insurance (GKV) expects 201.1 billion euros. Since the allocations to the individual funds are derived from the 2014 Health Fund, the result of the circle of evaluators is so significant.

Reserves in the billions
The health insurance funds, despite their reserves in the billions, had already demanded more money from the health fund in the run-up and estimated that about two billion more than the Federal Government and Federal Insurance Office actually had. This was justified by the expected future overspending, for example because of the discontinued compulsory discount on medicines and hospitals. Otherwise there would be additional contributions from the costs of the insured.

Competition among the health insurance companies
The uniform contribution rate required by all health insurances since the introduction of the health fund four years ago is 15.5 percent of gross salary. Of these, the insured pays 8.2 percent and the employer 7.3 percent. These receipts are bundled in the fund and issued to the health insurances according to certain criteria. Among other things, it should be ensured that, for example, funds with many old patients receive more money than those with many young and healthy members. The competition among the health insurance companies should also work that way. However, some insurers see it very differently, and just a few days ago the headline made: „Barmer boss calls for abolish unit contribution“ the round. The chairman of the board of the health insurance Barmer GEK, Christoph Straub, asked in an interview to the next federal government to abolish the uniform cash contribution.

Cash change with additional contributions
The statutory health insurers can, if they have received funds beyond their own needs and also have built up enough reserves, premiums paid to its members. In the opposite case, however, they can levy additional contributions, but only for the coming year. If insured persons want to escape such a contribution, they can change the cash register. For the insurance companies there is even a duty to point out this possibility. Therefore, in the past health insurance companies, which collected additional contributions, lost mass members.

Politics disagree
The individual parties have been arguing not only since the general election about their different ideas and models of health policy. So wanted the SPD, that the citizens for the „best cash register“ On the other hand, the CDU still wants the uniform sentence. Some also see the private health insurance before the end. The SPD, together with the Greens and the Left, would favor citizens' insurance, which among other things should abolish the two-tier system of private and statutory health insurance. However, the electoral winners of the CDU have always rejected such a citizens insurance. (Ad)