Private health insurance before going out?

The left wants to abolish private health insurance

04/10/2013

Once again, the Left Party calls for the abolition of private health insurance. One of the reasons for the left are the high contributions. This time, a bill is to initiate the off, which, however, will be discussed only after the summer break in the Bundestag.

According to the statistics portal Statista in Germany are just under nine million people in a private health insurance (PKV). In statutory health insurance (GKV) about 70 million Germans are insured against illness. Here, children and non-working spouses are also insured without any contribution, whereby in the private health insurance usually an extra amount has to be paid for each family member.

For the left there is no question that a general need for protection should also be introduced in private health insurance. This should help to contain the resulting two-class medicine. Many insured persons can hardly pay their contributions in private health insurance. Currently, citizens with a gross income of 4350 euros per month or 52,200 euros per year can leave the public health insurance and health insurance in the private health insurance.

„Even now, their contribution explosion, especially among older insured persons who can no longer switch to SHI, causes unacceptable social hardship. The chronically ill and people with disabilities usually do not even take them on, but they deprive the solidarity community tends to be well-deserving and healthy insured“, Kathrin Vogler, Deputy Chairwoman of the Health Committee in the German Bundestag recently explained.

Basic medical care via GKV
Contrary to the claims of the Association of Private Health Insurance to find in the PKVs its hardly well-earning, now comes a recent study on other results. Around 87 percent of insured persons earn an income below the compulsory insurance limit. Many tariffs also offer less benefits than the statutory health insurance. These reasons suggest an abolition, said the left on Tuesday. All citizens should be able to access in the future a basic medical care, which is provided by the statutory health insurance.

After the summer break is discussed
Private health insurance should in future only be limited to supplementary health insurance and no longer offer basic insurance.

The demands of the Left include the abolition of private health insurance in one step. All PKV insured persons should then be able to switch back to the statutory health insurance. In order to avoid a reduction of jobs, the employees of the private health insurance funds should be taken over by the statutory health insurance companies. Whether it comes to an abolition of private health insurance decides earliest in the fall after the summer break. However, one thing is clear: only solidarity-based health insurance can ensure good care for all people in Germany over the long term. (Fr)

Picture: Gerd Altmann / Gerold Meiners