Many insured dissatisfied with the PKV

Many members of the PKV regret the change of insurance

04/04/2011

The private health insurance companies (PKV) are repeatedly cited by the black and yellow government as exemplary when it comes to the efficient protection of health risks. But the verdict of the insured is evidently different here, than that of the policy.

Many privately insured are apparently not satisfied with their health insurance and would prefer to reverse the change of insurance. Ten percent of the privately insured would according to a representative survey by the pollster TNS Infratest „under no circumstance“ switch more to private health insurance if they could make the decision again. But those who have once turned their back on statutory health insurance are permanently barred from re-entering the statutory health insurance system.

One third of private insurers doubt the change
On behalf of the statutory health insurance Barmer GEK, the polling institute TNS Infratest has carried out a representative survey, the results of which „Frankfurter Rundschau“ now published first details. The aim of the survey was to compare the attitude of the health insurance against the two insurance systems. The result surprised. While the private health insurance with many legally insured ones (similarly as in the politics) a good state and every fifth legally insured the change into the private health insurance for „extremely attractive“ or „attractive“ private patients were far less convinced by their insurances. Ten percent of the privately insured stressed in the survey that they „under no circumstance“ would switch more to private health insurance if the decision were to be made again. Eight percent of respondents would take the insurance „probably“ no change and for ten percent would be the change of insurance „perhaps“ still in question. All in all, around one third of private insurers have doubts about whether the decision to change to private health insurance was the right way to go.

Increase in contributions of private health insurance most frequent reason for annoyance
In particular, the enormous increase in insurance premiums, according to the results of the latest survey, causes considerable annoyance among private individuals. Around 15 percent of the respondents were dissatisfied with the sometimes drastic increases in premiums, with only eight percent of those insured by the law being upset about the current increase in premiums. Although contributions to statutory insurance increased from 14.9% to 15.5% in 2011 and additional contributions were also due in part, those insured under the law seem to have far fewer problems with the amount of their contributions than private insureds. This is probably due to the fact that in private health insurance premiums increased by an average of 55 per cent between 1997 and 2008, while in the case of statutory insurance the increase in contributions was only 32 per cent during the same period. Due to the significant cost problems in private health insurance, the contributions were raised at the beginning of 2011 on average by 3.5 to 7.5 percent, with contributions in the new rates to be higher than ever have been higher, reports the „Frankfurter Rundschau“.

Unaccompanied medical services approach for criticism
In both insurance systems, however, the insured are equally annoyed that certain benefits are not taken, according to the survey by the pollster TNS Infratest. Although there is widespread acceptance in the population that privately insured persons can always claim extremely comprehensive benefit entitlements, at seven percent, nearly as many PKV insured are annoyed that certain benefits are not paid, as in the statutory health insurance (eight percent). , In addition, according to the results of the latest survey, the private insurance companies were not very convinced of the principle of reimbursement. One third of the respondents considered this to be rather disadvantageous, since in some cases high amounts for medical services would have to be pre-financed and a high time and administrative burden would be incurred. In addition, the reimbursement procedures are cumbersome and lengthy, the private insured justified their rejection of the reimbursement principle. Only half of the private insured assessed in the current survey the lists of benefits and costs as comprehensible.

Cost transparency through cost reimbursement principle?
The Federal Government, on the other hand, considers the principle of reimbursement as an essential factor for creating more cost transparency in health care and a higher cost awareness of insured persons. Thus, the reimbursement on a voluntary basis should be transferred to the statutory health insurance. The statutory insured rejected the reimbursement principle, however, with a clear majority of 64 percent, reports the „Frankfurter Rundschau“. However, cash-desk patients also see an increased need for cost transparency. For example, in the current survey, 59 percent of those insured under the law generally demand more transparency in the billing of medical services and 29 percent want an improvement in individual cases.

PKV continues to expect membership growth
The results of the survey confirm the assessment of critical experts that urgently advised against a hasty change in the PKV despite the much easier since the beginning of 2011 exchange conditions. Because a return to the statutory health insurance is then excluded and the supposed benefits turn out to be in retrospect often misjudgments, as confirmed by the survey of the opinion polling institute TNS Infratest. In particular, the premium increases can become a significant financial burden as the age increases and the health complaints of the insured grow. The Chairman of the Association of Private Health Insurance, Reinhold Schulte expects in the coming year, however, with a significant increase in the insurance change in the direction of private health insurance, since the change since the beginning of the year has been significantly facilitated by law. In the past year, the number of members of private health insurers increased by about one percent to a total of currently 8.9 million policyholders. „In the current year, the new business“ However, in the opinion of Reinhold Schulte clearly „better“.

Critics call for abolition of private health insurance
The result of the current survey confirms the critics of private health insurance in their negative attitude. Athansios Drougias of the Barmer GEK emphasized: „Private health insurance is expensive, does not provide better care and causes anger and dissatisfaction among many insured“. Moreover, private health insurance is not viable without State aid and „should be abolished (...) in its current form“, explained Drougias. The statutory health insurers are confirmed in their position and the spokesman for the Barmer GEK demanded based on the current survey results that „the full health insurance (...) are reserved exclusively to the statutory health insurance“ should, while „the private (...) focus on the supplementary insurance business“ can. In the support that the PKV has experienced as part of the health care reform by the federal government, may be a somewhat unrealistic demand, as a departure from the private health insurance model of the black and yellow government coalition is rather unlikely. (Fp)

Also read:
PKV expects increase in full insurance
Private physicians should help out with insufficient care
Consumer advocates warn against PKV low tariffs
Health insurance companies block insurance changes

Picture: Gerd Altmann