Private insurance should rarely be ill?

Survey: Private insured feel better

02/13/2014

Private insureds feel healthier than legally insured persons, according to a recent survey. In addition, the members of the statutory health insurance are ill on average three times as long as private patients. But it may also be that privately insured for fear, the premiums could rise, less often "feel sick".

Privately insured in the advantage
Privately insured persons not only appear to be at an advantage when it comes to the awarding of medical appointments or similar preferential treatment, but they are also less likely to be ill and feel healthier than members of the statutory health insurance funds. This is at least the result of a previously unpublished representative survey of opinion polling institute Nielsen, which the „world“ vorliege.

Fewer than half of those insured by law feel comfortable
In the survey commissioned by the German Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (BAH), a considerable gap in the perceived well-being of members of statutory and private health insurance (PKV) is demonstrated. For example, 61 percent of private health insurance respondents said they felt fully or at least largely happy at the moment. In contrast, the statutory insured overall is doing less well. Of them felt only 49 percent, so not even half, at the poll time well.

Sense of security
Apparently, the members of the statutory health insurance companies, who have one or more private supplementary insurances, apparently felt best. Sixty-two percent of those respondents said they felt fully or at least largely well. „The results are undoubtedly thought-provoking“, said Lutz Boden, health market expert at the BAH opposite the „world“. „Obviously, even insured persons with supplementary insurance feel healthier to a certain extent than people who are only legally insured. This obviously has to do with a sense of security.“

Private insurance satisfied with their own health
The results were similar when participants were more specifically asked about their health. According to this, half of private insured persons are very satisfied or at least satisfied with their own health. Just as high is the proportion of the statutory health insurance with private supplementary insurance. However, for those respondents who are only insured by law, only 37 percent are satisfied with their own health.

Disease duration almost three times as long
Privately insured but apparently also healthier. The PKV customers had stated to the market researchers that they had been so ill during the three months prior to the survey on average for one and a half days that they would not have been able to carry out their usual activities. In the case of statutory health insurance, on the other hand, there were on average just under five days, which is almost three times as many. Almost as long was the duration of illness with the GKV members with additional insurance.

Do not interpret results prematurely
As Florian Lanz, spokesman of the Association of statutory health insurance (GKV-SV) against the „world“ said, the results are not surprising: „Evaluations of sick leave regularly show that it is precisely the most physically active workers who are most frequently on sick leave and tend to be sick for longer. Especially among these workers, there are many with relatively low incomes who do not even have the chance to get into private health insurance.“ And BAH expert Boden said one should be careful not to prematurely interpret the results: „The data shows that people who are privately insured are better off and feel healthier. The share of private health insurance in the higher perceived well-being, the question can not answer the question clearly.“ (Sb)