Techniker Krankenkasse pays out premiums

The Techniker health insurance wants to pay as the first cash surpluses to insured persons

18/09/2012

The statutory health insurance companies have produced a billion surplus in recent years. For months, politicians have called on the health insurances to pay out surpluses to the insured. The Techniker-Krankenkasse now uses the reserves for distributions to the contributors. Who also wants to benefit from the payouts, can switch to the box office in October. However, it is not clear from the point of view of the cash management board when the payments are made. In addition, it can not be assumed that the premiums will now be paid each year.

The Techniker-Krankenkasse intends to pay off part of the billions in reserves in the form of premiums to insured persons from 2013 onwards. Currently, the approximately six million members could benefit from the unique program on the cash market. On 12 October, the board of directors of the second largest health insurance company in Germany, half of which consists of representatives of employers and insured persons, would decide on the exact amount, as the chairman of the board TK-Krankenkasse, Jens Baas, explained in Berlin.

More than 100 euros annual premium
Industry insiders believe that the premium could be around € 100 or even more. According to the fund, all would receive the payout, "which are insured from 2013 in the technician cashier". Accordingly, not only existing but also new customers would benefit from the premium payment. For example, newly insured persons must be insured in the TC at the latest from the first of January of the following year. "Anyone who wants to switch from his old cash register to the TK should cancel his cash register by October at the latest", reports Klaus Bernhard, insurance expert from Hanover. Self-employed persons "who are voluntarily insured by law, however, are usually subject to a 24-month contract term". Here should be asked again at the box office, so Bernhard.

German government called for funds to disburse surpluses
For months, health insurance companies, politicians and health experts are discussing the accumulated cash surpluses. While the central association of the legal health insurance (GKV) wants to save the money "for the coming times", demands the Federal Minister of Health Daniel Bahr (FDP) a disbursement of the surpluses to the contribution payers, which are not necessarily necessary for the current cash register operation. As things stand, all funds together have a cumulative reserve of more than 20 billion euros.

Techniker-Krankenkasse has particularly high reserves
In addition to the general local health insurance (AOK) and some other health insurance companies, the TK has a particularly high increase in additional revenue. According to the chairman of the board, the fund had already exceeded the statutory reserve of two monthly expenses at the beginning of the current year. Thus, even then, the surpluses amounted to 2.8 billion euros. For the current year, the chief executive expects a surplus of around 800 million euros. The prospects for the next year are still good despite the euro crisis, so that the TK "can count on additional revenue for the year 2013 as well". The premium height, however, Baas wanted to call. This will only be determined by the Board of Directors.

Despite rising health care expenditures, the fund is expected to have around € 1 billion available for additional bonuses and health care. As early as the end of 2011, the health insurance fund had also made natural health and osteopathic services possible for health insurance patients as the first statutory health insurance. With the new offer could be added more members and it speculated obviously the cashier. According to industry experts, the premium could even be over 100 or even 130 euros per contributor.

In the current debate, the Federal Insurance Office threatened even by coercive measures to transfer funds to the insured, should the health insurance companies take any adequate measures. But the health insurers refused, after all, they are currently in an altercation with the medical profession, which threatened in the past week even with practice closures, if they do not receive higher fees. In the current disputes, therefore, the health insurance companies used their financial flexibility and offered physicians more than 900 million euros per year in fee payments.

Compared to the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", the Federal Minister of Health expressed his positive opinion about the announcement of the TK to distribute funds to the insured. Finally, the surpluses are funds of the insured and patients, so Bahr. "I welcome the Techniker Krankenkasse's insured party's participation in the good financial situation. Thus, the insured in euros and cents can compare the coffers and their services. "Also expressed positively the health spokesman for CDU / CSU of the German Bundestag, Jens Spahn. In his opinion, the project was "a welcome and a courageous step". Spahn sees it as a "good sign of competition in the healthcare sector".

However, premiums are already paid by smaller funds. These are mostly bonus payments and are between 60 and 80 euros per contributor. Some closed company funds, which are only accessible to employees, the bonus payments are even around 120 euros.

Kasse wants to make health recommendations
Cash manager Baas announced that his health insurance will combine the payment with a health recommendation. At the same time, members are offered preventive measures for the preservation of health such as sports and fitness seminars, dental care or anti-stress programs. For this purpose, appropriate brochures should be filled in content and distributed. However, insured persons do not have to accept these offers. "Who wants money can pay off without perceiving the offers." However, the additional income must be stated and taxed at the tax office. The amount distributed will therefore "reduce the deductible social security costs".

"The premium was not the first choice," emphasizes Baas. Instead, the Techniker-Krankenkasse would have preferred to pay the patient the practice fees. But that was connected with excessive bureaucracy. Alternatives such as additional programs such as the offer of osteoporosis were rejected. On the one hand, TK already offers its insured a number of meaningful offers, which are fully financed; on the other, there are hardly any adequate additional offers that would actually make sense from a medical point of view. If the financial situation of the health insurance company deteriorates, the additional offers would be difficult to take back. In the opinion of the chairman of the board, the good financial position of the health insurance fund will not last long. Therefore, the members can not assume that the premiums will now be paid for years. Independent studies had also found that the contributions will increase in the coming years. That is another reason why the GKV-Spitzenverband wanted to invest the surpluses. (Sb)

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