Insured City BKK on the way to the uncertain

Members of the insolvent City BKK massively unsettled

18/05/2011

The insolvency of City BKK has shaken the industry and triggered massive uncertainty among the insured. Nearly 170,000 members of the City BKK are currently seeking a new health insurance, but the other statutory health insurance companies are apparently overwhelmed by the rush of potential new customers. Many complaints have accumulated in recent days at the consumer centers.

Since it is known that the City BKK must be closed on 1 July as a result of chronic financial problems and continued membership shrinkage, there is massive uncertainty among the 168,000 members of the insolvent health insurance. You need to look for a new insurance, but the remaining health insurance is obviously not much help. Many City BKK insured have in recent days on the „Abwimmelungen of the cash registers“ complains, quotes that „Hamburger Abendblatt“ the Berlin patient representative, Karin Stötzner.

Health insurance companies overwhelmed by the onslaught of City BKK members
The members of the insolvent City BKK need new health insurance until the first of July. As a result, particularly in Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart, a considerable crowd in the offices of other statutory health insurance funds triggered. But the health insurance companies are insufficiently prepared for the influx of potential new customers. For example, the Barmer GEK last week in Hamburg because of the „immense overhead“ Temporarily closed the customer center, said the spokeswoman for Barmer GEK, Viola Matzke. Other insurance companies such as the German Employees Health Insurance (DAK) and the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) admitted that they had not been prepared for the rush. In the case of the members of the insolvent City BKK, who are in any case already insecure due to the sudden closure of their health insurance, the behavior of the other health insurances has triggered further irritations. Many of them felt that they were getting rid of health insurance because they did not want to take them. For this reason, numerous complaints have been received by the Consumer Centers in recent days. The health insurance companies would try with trickery to keep them from applying for admission, so the frequent complaints of older City BKK members.

Techniker Krankenkasse accepts thousands of City BKK customers
As a positive counterexample at this point, the Techniker health insurance to call, in which according to own data already 13,000 former City BKK customers have come. The majority of the new customers had been recorded in Berlin, explained Marcus Dräger, spokesman of the TK and emphasized: „We do not swamp anyone.“ However, with nearly 170,000 people looking for a new health insurance, 13,000 new customers are just a small step on the way to their destination. Although Dräger alleged that TK had clear instructions from the outset that the City BKK members „treated like any other“, but the workload associated with the influx of potential new customers is immense. „We are clearly dealing with an exceptional situation“, said Susanne Hertzer, director of the TK-Landesvertretung Berlin and Brandenburg opposite the „Hamburger Abendblatt“. Therefore, according to the information provided by Susanne Hetzer, TK has strengthened the number of customer consultations in its offices. Be there „Waiting times are not always to be avoided, but nobody has let themselves go crazy“ and come in the end „everyone's turn and anyone who wants it will be accepted“, explained the director of the TK-Landesvertretung Berlin and Brandenburg.

Complaints by the insured about attempts at pooling
Although some statutory health insurance companies, such as the Techniker Krankenkasse, endeavor to take over the City BKK's customers, more and more insured members of the insolvent City BKK in Berlin have become more and more insane in recent days, according to Susanne van Cleve, spokeswoman for the Berlin consumer center Consumer Center reported to complain and ask for advice. The Berlin Patient Representative, Karin Stötzner, added: „In three days, 40 City BKK insured have complained about Abwimmelungen the coffers.“ Complaints against the AOK Nordost and the Barmer GEK were particularly frequent. Although admitted by some health insurance companies insufficient preparation for the onslaught of City BKK members, but all health insurance companies denied intentionally dismiss insured the City BKK, reports „Hamburger Abendblatt“. „Maybe it has come to misunderstandings“, said Viola Matzke, spokeswoman for the Barmer GEK, the allegations of the insured. The other health insurers also mentioned misunderstandings as a reason for the complaints. However, the handling of some health insurance companies with the potential new customers, actually gives the impression sometimes as if the insurance companies would not take the former members of the City BKK. This seems understandable considering that City BKK has already had some kind of negative selection in the past two years, with a disproportionate number of older insureds with significant health problems remaining as customers in the end. Since these insureds incur more costs than their membership fees generate in income, it is quite conceivable that some health insurers would rather not take them for financial reasons. (Fp)

Also read:
Health insurance: Soon 70 euros for additional contributions?
City BKK: What now insured must pay attention
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City BKK: collapse by additional contribution
Health Insurance City BKK is closed

Image: Gerd Altmann, Pixelio.de